There once was a time when a Manchester City win over Manchester United was regarded as an upset. This season excluded, the last few in the Premier League have seen the two rivals challenging at the top end of the table, rather than City doing their best to avoid relegation, which was the case around 10 years ago.
Always in the FA Cup there is an extra edge to games, especially when rivals clash. The fixture between United and City on this day 10 years ago was no different. It had everything, including a first-half red card and a brilliant goalkeeping performance. Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at the FA Cup clash on February 14, 2004.
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In the previous round the Citizens pulled off an unbelievable comeback against Tottenham Hotspur in their replay at White Hart Lane. They were 3-0 down at half time, with Joey Barton sent off on the way back to the tunnel, but somehow managed four unanswered goals in the second half to make it through to the fifth round against their local rivals.
It would turn out that a similar story was required at Old Trafford, but this time City were a man up. Roy Keane was back in the lineup for United and he was dominant in the midfield battle and linked up well with Paul Scholes. It was the latter who opened the scoring in a first half of few chances, as Ryan Giggs played in a low cross right into the danger area for Scholes to tap in on his 400th United appearance.
Then came Gary Neville's moment of madness five minutes before the break. It is also the moment that the game really became a proper cup tie. Neville wanted a penalty, which would have been soft at best and shambolic at worst, and upon getting to his feet he got into a scrap with former Liverpool player Steve McManaman. The end result was the United right-back putting his head out into the face of McManaman and being given his marching orders.
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A man up and only a goal down, the second half was surely a chance for City to get themselves back into the game and at least force a home replay. However, in Howard they found themselves up against a seemingly impenetrable wall. He first stopped a Shaun Wright-Phillips shot well, before keeping out Barton brilliantly from close range - his best of the lot. McManaman could and should have scored a simple chance before United decided that enough was enough.
City continued to commit men forward, which allowed space for Cristiano Ronaldo to weave his magic. He crossed for Ruud van Nistelrooy to tap in to make it 2-0, before adding a simple finish of his own on 72 minutes. The City goalkeeper Arni Arason could feel hard done by for the third goal after he had saved brilliantly from Giggs's initial effort. City once more needed to come back from three behind, but this time they had only 18 minutes.
Howard was finally beaten, but it took drastic measures from City. Sylvain Distin was pushed into attack by Kevin Keegan and he won the header for Michael Tarnat to thrash in from close range. It was 3-1 with 13 left to play, surely City could not pull off another turnaround? Indeed, this was one step too far as the next, crucial, goal went the way of United two minutes later.
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It was Van Nistelrooy who grabbed his second on the night and once again it was a typical poacher's goal from the Dutchman. Keane headed the ball goalwards and Van Nistelrooy turned it in from no more than two yards out to seal the result beyond any reasonable doubt.
The scoring was not quite done there, though. There were no substitutions made by Keegan and while Robbie Fowler was looking tired he was still quick in his mind as he scored from a free kick taken rapidly. With just four minutes left, however, it proved just a consolation as United advanced into the quarter-finals for the first time since the turn of the millennium.
Matt Domm
