In what will be the 23rd competitive Manchester derby since the two teams first met in 2019, City travel to The Progress with Unity Stadium in Leigh to take on a United side who, after a tricky start to the season under new boss Eva Olid, are starting to find their feet.
Our cross-city rivals have won each of their last four games in all competitions, including a huge 10-1 win over Sheffield United in the Subway Players Cup. We’re in great form too, however, having won all of our opening six Barclays Women’s Super League matches.
We’ve got a stellar record in this fixture, too. Of the 22 derbies played since that first clash seven years ago, we’ve won 11 and enjoyed plenty of iconic moments along the way.
So, to whet your appetite ahead of Sunday’s edition of the derby, we’ve put together a list of five of the most memorable and significant wins against our neighbours.
City 1-0 United (07/09/2019)
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call our first ever game against United one of the most significant landmarks in the history of the WSL.
Prior to the derby, the league’s record attendance sat at 5,265, set when Arsenal faced Brighton at the Amex Stadium in the previous campaign.
At our first game at the Etihad since 2014, we blew that record out of the water.
Over 31,000 fans watched on as we defeated the Red Devils 1-0 thanks to Caroline Weir’s stunning 25-yard strike into the top corner.
She would go on to make something of a habit out of producing derby daggers, and we certainly started as we meant to go on against United.
United 1-4 City (27/02/2022)
Three years later, we met our big rivals in the fifth round of the FA Cup. With a spot in the quarter-finals at stake and a home advantage, United would have been forgiven for going into the match with high expectations.
We had other ideas.
The hosts took the lead in the first half after a Katie Zelem corner flew all the way in, but that was where the positives ended for United.
In the second half, we were ruthless. We’d already scored three times and flipped the game totally on its head by the hour mark, before Bunny Shaw proceeded to get on the scoresheet too with just over 10 minutes of football left to play.
Not only did we progress to the last eight of the FA Cup, but we also watched as two generations of City stars combined to shine in the derby; Weir and Ellen White struck for us in what was each of their final seasons at the Club, while goals from Lauren Hemp and Shaw were indications of what was to come.
Although we would eventually go on to narrowly lose the FA Cup final against Chelsea, this fifth-round result was a statement win, and at the time our most comprehensive victory in the derby.
United 1-3 City (19/11/2023)
Having only hosted us at The Progress with Unity Stadium up to this point, United’s staging of the derby at Old Trafford was a significant moment.
Not that we let the pressure of a big occasion affect us.
The game initially followed a similar pattern to the FA Cup tie the previous year. United took the lead in the first half following a Zelem set piece (this time a penalty), before we went on to assert our control of proceedings.
Quickfire goals from Jill Roord and Hemp had put us in front by half-time, and Shaw put the game to bed with one of the most iconic goals in derby history, as her tireless pressing forced United ‘keeper Mary Earps to clear the ball against her knee, before it flew into the back of the net.
Far from the fortress United were hoping it would be, Old Trafford was subdued into silence as we sensationally secured three points.
City 3-0 United (15/11/2025)
Against a United side who, at this point in the season, had conceded only four league goals and were unbeaten away from home, we pulled off a performance which couldn’t have been much better.
After Rebecca Knaak scored in the 26th minute, continuing her penchant for finding the back of the net in some of the biggest moments, we went from strength to strength.
Watch video for free with a Cityzens account
It was an imperious first-half performance, with our appetite for goals insatiable. Shaw made it two in the 43rd minute, and even then, we weren’t content.
Producing the pick of the bunch in first-half stoppage time, Hemp rifled a fearsome strike from the edge of the penalty area into the top left corner, sparking pandemonium at the Etihad.
In the second half, we proved our proficiency in keeping the ball out of our net as well as putting it in theirs, as Jade Rose pulled off a stunning goal-line clearance to make sure we kept our clean sheet.
This, our eighth win in a row at the time, let the rest of the WSL know that we had our eyes well and truly on the title.
United 0-3 City (28/03/2026)
Come the return fixture, a trip to Old Trafford represented one of our final hurdles on our road to a first WSL trophy in a decade, and we made sure not to falter.
In some ways, it mirrored our clash at the Etihad: we were unstoppable.
This time, it was Vivianne Miedema who got on to the scoresheet early, heading home twice in two minutes to give us a sizeable cushion. Her international teammate (and creator-in-chief for the season) Kerstin Casparij added the third in the second half after a sweeping team move.
Once again, we’d bested the Red Devils on their own turf.
A positive result this Sunday will mark our fourth successive Manchester derby without defeat, and if we can channel any of our impressive wins in the past, we could be in for a treat as we look to continue the perfect start to our WSL title defence.
