The eight-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge was the first time in Pep Guardiola’s 882 games as a manager that his side have both scored and conceded at least four times in one game.
City took the lead on three occasions but were unable to hold on during a stoppage time Cole Palmer penalty.
It’s sure to live long in the memory for anyone who watched it and it’s by no means the first time we’ve been involved a game for the ages.
Here we head down memory lane to some of our best clashes in the Premier League era.
City 5-2 Spurs, October 1994
A match that the BBC’s late, great commentator John Motson described as amongst the most memorable he ever covered across his lengthy career.
And Brian Horton, City’s manager that day, says he’s regularly told by fans it’s the best game they’ve ever seen..
City were outplayed for the first 20 minutes, but an inspired Paul Walsh, with something to prove against his old club, took over.
Walsh put City in the lead before Ilie Dumitrescu equalised on the half hour. Niall Quinn and Walsh added one each to put City 3-1 at half-time.
Dumitrescu pulled one back but Steve Lomas and Garry Flitcroft added the gloss to the scoreline.
City 3-1 Manchester United, November 2002
The final Manchester derby at Maine Road was the perfect send off for our iconic home.
Fittingly, the occasion proved to be a day to remember with City securing a famous 3-1 victory over United.
Shaun Goater claimed a memorable brace - bringing up a century of City strikes as well - to supplement Nicolas Anelka’s early opener and ensure that Kevin Keegan’s side deservedly claimed the derby bragging rights.
Goater’s first was particularly memorable for the way in which he won the ball, taking it off Gary Neville in the corner of United’s box before turning towards the goal.
City 4-2 Arsenal, September 2009
A thrilling meeting that had a bit of everything.
Goals, controversy, drama...
It was also a powerful statement from a new-look City that made it four Premier League wins in succession and maintained our 100% start to the 2009/10 league season.
Micah Richards opened the scoring with a well-timed header in the first half before Robin van Persie equalised just after the hour mark.
With the match finely in the balance, Mark Hughes’ side produced an electric attacking response as Craig Bellamy restored our lead.
And then there was Emmanuel Adebayor’s unforgettable celebration after netting against his former employers to extend the host’s lead further.
Later goals from Shaun Wright-Phillips and the Gunners’ Tomas Rosicky completed an epic afternoon at the Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea 2-4 City, February 2010
Six strikes and most of them of exceptional quality in a thriller involving the side that would go on to lift the title.
Unfortunately that wasn’t City, but we did have the last laugh in this one.
After failing to score in our previous two fixtures against the London side, we travelled to the west of the capital looking to face a team that hadn’t previously lost at home that season.
City got the win courtesy of two beautiful goals apiece for Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy but it wasn’t all plain sailing.
Chelsea had taken the lead through Frank Lampard before we stretched ahead into a 4-1 advantage. Lampard got a consolation in added time but it didn’t ruin an incredible day’s work for Roberto Mancini’s side.
Manchester United 1-6 City, October 2011
The greatest Manchester derby ever? Plenty of City fans would say so.
Roberto Mancini’s challengers ripped through Sir Alex Ferguson’s champions, scoring six as we set a marker for the title race to come.
It was the most emphatic City victory in the history of our rivalry and our biggest win at Old Trafford since 1955.
Mario Balotelli opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and it remained that way until half-time.
The second came on the hour, again through Balotelli to open the floodgates. Sergio Aguero added a third shortly afterwards before United’s Darren Fletcher gave the hosts a glimmer of hope.
That was quickly extinguished with an Edin Dzeko brace either side of a David Silva finish to cap off an unforgettable day
City 3-2 QPR, May 2012
What a moment. What a day. What a season.
Sergio Aguero scored what must be the most famous goal in Premier League history in this game.
It was a strike on 93 minutes and 20 seconds that secured our first ever Premier League crown and sent the Etihad Stadium crowd into utter jubilation.
And moments later, the final whistle blew and we were champions!
It capped off what was an extraordinary game.
Roberto Mancini’s side needed three points to clinch the prize that has eluded us since 1968 and took the lead through Pablo Zabaleta just before the interval.
Djibril Cisse made it 1-1 soon after the restart before former City midfielder Joey Barton was dismissed for the visitors after a clash with Carlos Tevez.
Despite that, QPR remarkably went 2-1 ahead via Jamie Mackie’s far-post header in the 66th minute.
All looked lost. The game. The title. But hope? Never!
City scored two stoppage time goals to ensure the blue side of Manchester ended 44 years of hurt and, in the process, stop neighbours United earning their 20th crown.
Edin Dzeko headed home the equaliser before Aguero broke into the box before powering home the winner past Paddy Kenny, to the soundtrack of Martin Tyler’s commentary, to send the Etihad into utter bedlam.
Aguero wheeled away to celebrate and that moment will forever be immortalised in a statue that now stands on the east side of our stadium.
City 6-3 Arsenal, December 2013
City started the day six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, but Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo, David Silva, Yaya Toure and a Fernandinho brace saw us brush the Gunners aside in convincing fashion.
Aguero handed Manuel Pellegrini’s men an early lead after ghosting in at the far post from a Samir Nasri corner, but the visitors responded after the half hour through Theo Walcott.
However, Negredo restored our lead just eight minutes later with a close-range finish from Pablo Zabaleta’s ball across the face of goal, before Fernandinho grabbed his first City strike just five minutes after the restart.
Walcott reduced the arrears with an impressive curling effort after the hour, but Silva restored our two-goal advantage soon after.
Fernandinho added number five with a sumptuous chip over the onrushing Wojciech Szczesny before Per Mertesacker offered the Gunners faint hope of an unlikely comeback deep into stoppage time.
But it was a rampant City side who would have the final say on an enthralling afternoon at the Etihad, when Toure added a sixth from the spot.
City 2-1 Liverpool, January 2019
A game of fine margins in one of the tightest title races in Premier League history.
Heading into the game seven points off the top, Pep Guardiola‘s men hosted league leaders Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
It was quite simply a must-win for the Champions and the atmosphere was electric, as the home side produced a superb performance to clinch a pivotal three points in the title race with a hard-fought 2-1 win.
A typically stunning Sergio Aguero strike had opened the scoring before Roberto Firmino equalised.
Leroy Sane’s drilled effort settled the contest with 18 minutes of normal time remaining, although it could all have been very different had John Stones not prevented the Reds from drawing first blood, reacting quickest to stop the ball from crossing the line by a matter of millimetres after Sadio Mane had struck the post and Stones‘ clearance had ricocheted off Ederson.
City held on for a precious win to reignite our title charge - and just how important it would turn out to be.
City 1-0 Leicester, May 2019
When the pressure is on, Champions step up - teams pull together, leaders shine and the great ones weave their magical moments.
The stakes could not have been higher for Pep Guardiola‘s men when Leicester City visited the Etihad Stadium in the penultimate game of the season in 2019.
Nothing less than a victory would suffice, as City chased a second successive Premier League crown.
With the score locked at 0-0 with 20 minutes to go, you could cut the tension with a knife... It was time for something special - but no-one could have predicted what happened next!
Of all people, it was Vincent Kompany who decided to take matters into his own hands. Though he’d scored ‘big game’ goals before, this one was straight out of the top drawer...
Picking the ball up 30 yards from goal, our beloved skipper opted to try his luck and unleashed an absolute thunderbolt past Kasper Schmeichel and into the top corner.
It was a truly sensational strike, which any striker or midfielder would have been proud of - never mind a centre-back! - and it deservedly proved to be the matchwinner, gaining the pivotal three points needed to put one hand on the trophy!
City 2-2 Liverpool, April 2022
Pep Guardiola says the challenge of Liverpool has helped his City side continually strive to reach new heights. This game, one of the highest quality matches ever seen on these shores, was testament to the level of both teams at the peak of their powers.
In the end, we remained in pole position in the Premier League after a thrilling clash.
City made a flying start to a breathless encounter, opening the scoring in the sixth minute when Kevin De Bruyne capitalised on a quick free-kick to send a 20-yard effort past Alisson via a deflection off Joel Matip.
Liverpool responded when Andy Robertson clipped a ball to the far post for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who guided it into the middle where Diogo Jota was waiting to squeeze a shot under Ederson.
We equalised eight minutes before the interval when Gabriel Jesus arrived unmarked at the far post to lift Joao Cancelo’s superb cross over Alisson and in off the crossbar to give us a deserved lead.
Liverpool had struggled to keep pace with City but came roaring out of the blocks after the break and stunned us with an equaliser a minute into the second period.
Mohamed Salah was the architect, splitting our defence with a precise through ball that allowed Sadio Mane to fire emphatically past Ederson.
City 3-2 Aston Villa, May 2022
City staged another incredible final day fightback, scoring three goals in five second half minutes to dramatically beat Aston Villa 3-2 and so retain the Premier League title at a spellbound Etihad.
Having gone 2-0 down midway through the second half Pep Guardiola’s side looked to be in danger of losing the crown to Liverpool, who beat Wolves 3-1.
However, in amazing scenes reminiscent of our first Premier League triumph 10 years earlier, with the same uncanny scoreline, we staged the most unbelievable of comebacks to seize the crown, as a brace from substitute Ilkay Gundogan and a Rodrigo strike lifted the lid off the Etihad.
It was a fightback full of grit and character and one worthy of any title-winning side.
And it meant we retained the crown, secured a fourth title in five years under Pep Guardiola and handed departing Club captain Fernandinho the perfect emotional send off.
City 6-3 Manchester United, October 2022
Manchester City produced a blistering performance to dismantle Manchester United and win the 188th Manchester derby in style.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks, with City running out 6-3 winners in front of a packed Etihad crowd.
The champions were 4-0 ahead at half-time after two goals apiece from Foden and Haaland, as United struggled to cope with the speed of our football.
Antony got one back for the visitors early in the second half with a fine curling effort.
But Haaland and Foden completed their trebles to put City 6-1 up, before Anthony Martial’s close-range header and late penalty reduced the deficit.
It was yet another historic day at the Etihad that will live long in the memory of those in attendance.
