A City killing, and Keegan just loves it

Manchester City 3 Manchester United 1

It has taken 13 years since the old enemy were last dismissed here and sent skulking back across Manchester, but as Maine Road ushered out an era of local derbies, "Blue Moon" can hardly have been sung with more gusto. The fact that United contributed to their own downfall served to heighten the sense of pleasure, although it was perhaps fortunate for United's principal England contenders – particularly Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand – that Sven Goran Eriksson had decided that his day was better spent at Highbury.

Life at Maine Road since that 5-1 triumph has been one of frequent misery punctuated by occasional bouts of intense optimism, followed by deflation, but in the season that the club prepare for the move to the City of Manchester Stadium, a feeling permeates here that this time they are really capable of competing on equal terms, instead of permanently being the equivalent of the younger sibling desperately trying to attract attention while big brother cavorts with with a succession of glamorous girlfriends on the couch.

Not that everything has been too brotherly about relations between the clubs. The aftermath of the Keane-Haaland affair still lingers; since Kevin Keegan's Newcastle days, there has always been that hint of feeling between him and Sir Alex Ferguson unless the conversation has included horse racing; and there is a small matter of City's goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel departing Old Trafford after the 1999 Champions' League final, declaring that he was retiring from English football. In that little sideshow, there was little doubt that the great Dane emerged best in comparison to Fabien Barthez, particularly when he frustrated United with several fine saves late on.

"I enjoyed this derby more than any I've played in or been manager," said Keegan. "It took me back to when I was playing in the Seventies and we had huge crowds who made a tremendous noise. It was like that today and it made a big difference to us. In the week, it was said that because there weren't many Manchester-based players involved the team wouldn't be up for it, but I don't know about that."

That said, like many derbies these days, this lacked the full-blooded passion of yesteryear, at least where the players were concerned. For God's sake, there were only three cautions in total – for United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Phil Neville and City's Gerard Wiekens. When no fewer than 16 of the starting players from both sides are originally from outside the British Isles that is inevitable. And many of a certain age or more will contend that Sir Alex Ferguson and Kevin Keegan, for all their profile today, scarcely compare with the charismatic presences of, say, a Tommy Docherty and Malcolm Allison.

Individual errors may have greatly contributed to United's downfall, but City fed on them voraciously, displayed the greater desire, an attitude epitomised by the midfielders Eyal Berkovic and Danny Tiatto, and the team beaten by Second Division Wigan in the Worthington Cup in midweek ultimately won with something in hand. It was United's third defeat of the season, but more worryingly for Ferguson, his team have actually won less than half of their 13 games.

True, the visitors were without the suspended David Beckham and the injured and banned Roy Keane, but given Old Trafford's quality of reserves, that should not have inhibited them as much as it did. Anyway, to balance affairs, City were missing the defenders Sylvain Distin and Steve Howey. Their replacements, Wiekens and Lucien Mettomo, proved resolute.

Paul Scholes ferreted constantly around the box and Solskjaer, deployed initially in a wide right role, was always capable of troubling the home rearguard, but after his scoring a first-half equaliser, found Schmeichel in splendid form.

Defensively, Ferguson's team were porous during a first half in which the light blue waters flowed forward constantly. It was only four minutes before Rio Ferdinand allowed Nicolas Anelka to wrest the ball from him as City broke into the United half. Anelka's simple ball to Shaun Goater was an invitation the Bermudan failed to accept because Barthez was well placed to block his attempt, but the Frenchman still spilled the ball obligingly to Anelka, who scored easily.

United rallied with a goal fashioned by a tantalising cross from Ryan Giggs. It drifted across the goal and, with Schmeichel and Mettomo powerless to intervene, Solskjaer ghosted in at the far post to equalise. It was to prove United's last moment of jubilation as they were continuously denied by that man Schmeichel.

All afternoon he was jabbing those giant gloved hands like an off-duty Spanish traffic policeman, berating his men. And you imagine he would have something to say, had he still been the visitors' custodian, when they conceded a second to City.

In no immediate danger, the United captain, Gary Neville, inexcusably lost the ball on the byline under the challenge of Anelka and the Frenchman advanced towards goals before steering the ball past Barthez, whose attempt to thwart him was rather feeble. By the break, Anelka had broken through again, only to be foiled by Barthez. But, five minutes after the interval, Goater struck again after a scintillating four-man move culminated in Berkovic setting up the chance.

In the second half Gary Neville and Juan Veron were replaced by Diego Forlan and John O'Shea, to no avail, with Schmeichel saving well from Solskjaer twice, O'Shea and Giggs. Both sides had penalty appeals denied, rightly in the case of the disappointing Ruud van Nistelrooy, not so in City's, when Barthez felled Anelka.

In added time, O'Shea encapsulated United's frustration when he contrived to miss from virtually on the line. But by then, anyway, it was far too late for Ferguson's men unless they were in Champions' League final mood. And yesterday they decidedly weren't.

Exuberant City supporters departed, no doubt speculating that they may be witnessing a power shift in Manchester football. That would be exceedingly premature, as Keegan would no doubt tell them. Yesterday, the little man was happy enough. Didn't he just love it...

Manchester City 3 Manchester United 1

Anelka 5, Goater 26, 50; Solskjaer 8

Half-time: 2-1 Attendance: 34,649