The Manchester derby which saw Gary Neville make a fool of himself as Fergie made brutal post-match admission

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There’s no question as to who is the dominant club in Manchester these days – Manchester City have well and truly left Manchester United in the dust over the past decade.

However, it wasn’t that long ago that things were completely different. Just 20-odd years ago, the poles were reversed, and Man United were actually a decent side.

That said, when it came to the derby, the form book often went out of the window, and Manchester City recorded some amazing wins over their neighbours.

For instance, there was one derby in the early 2000s which City won convincingly, despite the odds heavily favouring the other side.

Better still, Gary Neville made a complete and utter fool of himself, and Sir Alex Ferguson made a brutal admission about his players.

Shaun Goater struck twice in Manchester City’s last derby at Maine Road

The derby in question took place on 9 November 2002, and City, who had not long returned to the Premier League, hosted their neighbours at Maine Road.

It was a poignant occasion for the City faithful, as it was the last Manchester derby set to take place at Maine Road.

Kevin Keegan’s side well and truly rose to the occasion as they ran out 3-1 winners over a side that would go on to win the title.

Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer equalised just three minutes later.

Then, in the 26th minute, Gary Neville attempted to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Fabien Barthez under pressure from Shaun Goater.

However, he scuffed his pass, and Goater bore down on goal before slipping a low finish past Barthez to put City ahead again.

And early in the second half, Eyal Berkovic set Goater up for his 100th City goal, much to the delight of the home fans in the stands.

Neville ended up being hauled off in the 62nd minute, with John O’Shea replacing the United captain.

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How Sir Alex Ferguson and Kevin Keegan reacted to the result

Ferguson started the game in the directors’ box but had gone down to the touchline to try and fix the issues before the first half was even over.

“Quite simply, they have underachieved,” Ferguson said of his United players, as per BBC Sport. “They have received a rollicking and rightly so.”

Meanwhile, a delighted Keegan said: “I have been involved in some great derby matches over the years but I will remember this one forever.”