Whether it’s a goal line clearance, a derby win or a last gasp strike to seal the title, the game we love has the ability to generate unforgettable moments of ecstasy.
And there have been several of those in this remarkable ten-year period in Manchester City’s history, in which our men and women’s first teams have lifted 16 major trophies.
Winning, of course, only adds to the joy, as does drama and there has been plenty of that en-route to some of our greatest triumphs.
The stakes have often been incredibly high, which means we end the decade with a long list of games that gave fans an ‘I was there’ moment.
Picking the best 10 may seem like an impossible task – and naturally, everyone will cherish different matches – but here, in chronological order, are ten of our best games between 2010-2019…
City 1-0 Manchester United: 16 April 2011 (FA Cup semi-final)
It was the turning point, according to Vincent Kompany, and, with the benefit of hindsight, it was certainly the catalyst for the trophy-laden spell that followed.
Games don’t come much bigger than United at Wembley Stadium.
But City, as time would tell, had big game players in their ranks and it was Yaya Toure, a man who provided so many memorable moments, who proved to be the hero when he intercepted Michael Carrick’s under hit pass and fired between Edwin van der Sar’s legs.
It sparked wild celebrations at one end of Wembley and rightly so.
Beating United on such a stage had felt like a distant dream for a generation of fans, but City stepped out of the shadows that day and haven’t looked back since.
City 1-0 Stoke: 14 May 2011 (FA Cup final)
The day the Blue Moon rose once more.
Roberto Mancini’s side went into the game as favourites and whilst the tension was heightened by a 74-minute wait for a breakthrough, we lived up to our pre-match billing.
Stoke were indebted to goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen for keeping them in the tie, but he could do nothing about Toure’s winner.
The Ivorian again delivered at Wembley, crashing home the ball to end our 35-year wait for a trophy.
City were back and whilst bigger games and achievements followed, that first taste of success was a priceless moment in this wonderful decade.
Manchester United 1-6 City: 23 October 2011 (Premier League)
History told us City winning at Old Trafford didn’t happen.
We’d done so just once in the league since 1974 as we travelled across Manchester on that October afternoon, but a devastating display of attacking football emphatically changed that.
Mario Balotelli got the ball rolling, writing himself into City folklore with his ‘Why Always Me?’ celebration and added a second after half-time, with Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko also on the scoresheet in a staggeringly comprehensive victory.
It was a game to treasure; such was our superiority.
It was the first time we’d scored six in a derby since 1926, our joint largest derby winning margin and our joint record goal tally in a Premier League game.
The milestones didn’t end there, either. This was United’s heaviest league defeat and their worst home loss since 1955.
This was one of our most iconic performances and results of the decade.
City 1-0 Manchester United: 30 April 2012 (Premier League)
A derby of what felt like unparalleled magnitude.
Watched by footballing royalty in the form of Diego Maradona, it was billed as the biggest clash in Premier League history as second-placed City faced leaders United three games before the end of the season.
And oh, how we delivered.
We were the better team, but it was still a nerve-jangling experience for those of a sky-blue persuasion.
But in Vincent Kompany, we had a talismanic man mountain of a leader made for such occasions and the sight of him wheeling away after crashing a header beyond David De Gea is surely one of the celebrations of the decade.
The Belgian’s goal sent us top of the league on goal difference and put us in the driving seat for the most dramatic of season finales.
City 3-2 Queens Park Rangers: 13 May 2012 (Premier League)
Undoubtedly the game of the decade.
It was the day our dreams came true as we ended our 44-year wait for a first division title in circumstances that would have been rejected as unrealistic if pitched as a film script.
We went into the day ahead of United on goal difference, but Wayne Rooney’s goal against Sunderland had them as champions as they finished minutes before us, whilst we trailed 2-1 to the West Londoners.
Edin Dzeko’s 92nd minute equaliser gave us a glimmer of hope, but ‘Typical City’ remained at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
A heart-breaking second-placed finish loomed large and fans had already started to trudge out of Etihad, gutted by what they thought would be cruellest of opportunities missed.
Aguero had other ideas, however.
Time seemed to stop as Balotelli shepherded the Argentine’s pass back into his path, but less than a second later, there was an explosion of joy as he arrowed the ball past Paddy Kenny.
It was bedlam.
“I swear you will never see anything like this again,” roared Martin Tyler to perfectly encapsulate that unbelievable, wonderful moment, which will live with us forever.
City 1-0 Arsenal: 16 October 2014 (Continental Cup final)
Like the men’s first team would say of the 2011 FA Cup, the first trophy is always special.
And similarly, the Continental Cup, City’s first trophy since the women’s team relaunched in the professional era, was the one that paved the way for future success.
It came earlier than perhaps even the most optimistic expected, at the end of our maiden campaign and against perennial powerhouses, Arsenal.
Nick Cushing’s side started as underdogs, but having weathered the storm early on, took the lead through an emphatic Izzy Christiansen header and held on to secure a famous victory.
City 2-0 Chelsea: 25 September 2016 (FA Women’s Super League)
A first title clinched against your biggest rivals and in front of a record crowd. Does it get any better?
City were superb that season, finishing as unbeaten champions and this game was the highlight of a campaign of the highest quality.
With 4,096 fans watching – then the highest attendance at the Academy Stadium - Cushing’s side went 2-0 up inside an hour thanks to Jill Scott’s header and Toni Duggan’s penalty.
From there, our controlled display over our nearest challengers exemplified the dominance we exuded over the FA WSL in that exceptional season.
Southampton 0-1 City: 13 May 2018 (Premier League)
So many of these games share something in common: they were contests which had so much resting on them.
The same can’t be said for this one. City travelled to Saint Mary’s already confirmed as champions.
Such was our dominance in a season we were near perfect, 2018’s title lacked the late drama of our other three championships.
This wasn’t even the best performance of an outstanding season in which City rewrote the history books, but it was the crowning moment.
Gabriel Jesus’ goal, with almost the final touch of the campaign, confirmed our Centurions status as we became the first team to accumulate 100 points.
We finished 19 points ahead of second-placed United, with a record number of goals and this game rounded off an incredible season to reiterate Pep Guardiola and City’s magnificence.
City 2-1 Liverpool: 3 January 2019 (Premier League)
Another huge night at the Etihad. Another occasion when City delivered under pressure.
There was no room for error as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool arrived seven points clear of Guardiola’s side at the top of the table.
The Merseyside outfit played their part in one of the most enthralling title races in English football history and were on a 20-match unbeaten run coming into the game, which was by no means a classic.
But it was tense. Really tense.
John Stones’ clearance, with the ball just 1.12cm away from giving the Reds the lead, was evidence of that.
It was a piece of defending as important as any goal, though Aguero’s near-post drive and the impressive Leroy Sane’s winner were equally as crucial.
There was a sense of relief that night, as we began our march to another dramatic season’s end.
City 1-0 Leicester: 6 May 2019 (Premier League)
History repeated itself as captain Kompany produced a crucial goal to keep our title aspirations on course.
The Belgian had done the same in the third to last game of our 2012 triumph, though his towering header against United felt less surprising.
City, facing Leicester in our penultimate match, again needed inspiration in a clash we dominated, just as we had done seven years earlier.
Again, Kompany provided it, but in vastly different circumstances, catching everyone at the Etihad by surprise with a 25-yard effort that soared into the top corner.
It was monumental moment from a player who had a monumental impact on the Club’s success during this decade.
