It was the day the ‘noisy neighbours’ really cranked up the volume.
Manchester City, enriched by their Abu Dhabi owners, were undoubtedly a coming force in English football but they’d been unable to lay a glove on their all-conquering rivals Manchester United.
But that all changed on a tumultuous afternoon at Wembley in April 2011 when Paul Scholes planted his studs into Pablo Zabaleta’s thigh, Rio Ferdinand lost his rag with Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure strode through United’s defence to send City to a first FA Cup final in 30 years.
With hindsight, City’s semi-final win 12 years ago can be viewed as a sliding doors moment, the first of a sequence of events that shifted the balance of power from the red to the blue side of Manchester.
A few weeks later, City would beat Stoke – courtesy of another Yaya Toure winner – to end a 35-year wait for silverware.
Yaya Toure’s goal sent Manchester City to the FA Cup final at Manchester United’s expense back in 2011 – but that victory had far-reaching implications as it sparked a shift in power
Paul Scholes was sent off for a reckless challenge on Pablo Zabaleta in a stormy semi-final
A furious Rio Ferdinand squares up to Roberto Mancini as tempers flared at the final whistle
Six months later, they famously thrashed United 6-1 at Old Trafford to well and truly plant their flag. Sergio Aguero would then break the Premier League dominance of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in the most dramatic of all title wins.
And when Fergie retired after 27 years as United manager following one final title success in 2013, City would come to build their own dynasty of success.
A Wembley visit was a novelty for the Citizens in 2011, now they’re at the national stadium three or four times a season.
On that day, City’s jubilant fans Poznan-ed in delight as they finally beat United in a meaningful game. In doing so, they wrecked Ferguson’s ambition of delivering another Treble.
This Saturday, we’ll come full circle as Erik ten Hag’s United team desperately try and derail Pep Guardiola’s City as they strive for the triple of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
A glance at the matchday programme from the 2011 semi-final allows the temperature of the time to be taken.
City defender Joleon Lescott is quoted in an interview as saying: ‘I know Manchester United are top of the league… and will probably go on to win the league, but I think they are looking over their shoulders now and thinking about the way we’re progressing.
Toure capitalised on a misplaced pass from Michael Carrick to run through and score
Toure slipped the ball through Edwin van der Sar’s legs to spark wild City celebrations
City’s win that afternoon, and subsequent moments, shifted the balance of power
‘In the next couple of years we’re going to be getting to semi-finals and finals a lot more.’
Match facts
Man City 1-0 Man United
April 16, 2011 – FA Cup semi-final
Wembley Stadium, London
Manchester City: Hart; Kompany, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Lescott; Johnson (Wright-Phillips 79), Barry, Silva (Vieira 86), De Jong; Y Toure, Balotelli
Substitutes not used: Taylor; Boyata, Milner, Dzeko, Jo
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Scorer: Toure 52
Booked: Kompany, Zabaleta, De Jong, Balotelli
Manchester United: Van der Sar; O’Shea (Fabio 84), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Scholes, Park Ji-Sung, Nani, Valencia (Hernandez 65), Berbatov (Anderson 74)
Substitutes not used: Kuszczak; Smalling, Gibson, Owen
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Sent off: Scholes
Referee: Mike Dean
Attendance: 86,549
The match programme cover
In his column, City manager Roberto Mancini said: ‘I think that we’re now very close to United. We’re playing at Wembley for one game and we have a 50 per cent chance to win, just like them.’
How right they both were. It showed how City were becoming bolder and losing the inferiority complex with United that had existing for decades.
Indeed, they were motivated by a desire to ram Ferguson’s infamous ‘sometimes neighbours are noisy’ comment from 2009 back down his throat.
But Ferguson’s team were still the pre-eminent force in English football. They were on course to win the Premier League title by nine points from Chelsea and City, who came third.
In the Champions League, having dispatched Chelsea in the quarter-final, they were about to enact a demolition job on Schalke in the last four to set up a second final against Barcelona in three years.
This was a powerful United team, one of Ferguson’s best, even if they rocked up at Wembley to face City stripped of the suspended Wayne Rooney after he angrily shouted ‘f***ing what’ down the lens of a TV camera after completing a hat-trick at West Ham.
With Rooney suited and booted on the United bench, Ferguson deployed Dimitar Berbatov only for the Bulgarian to miss two golden opportunities in the opening few minutes.
First, he was denied by Joe Hart’s smothering save after Ji Sung-Park slipped him clean through and then he somehow sent the ball over an open goal from three yards following Nani’s cut-back.
That would prove costly because City took control of the contest. Before half-time, wild child Balotelli forced a fingertip save from Edwin van der Sar with a long-range rocket, before Vincent Kompany whistled a curling shot narrowly wide.
Ferdinand had made a 200 mile dash back to Cheshire at 2am the night before the game to be at his wife’s side for the birth of his daughter Tia.
Perhaps that helped explain the loose marking in the United defence as City probed the usually reliable duo of Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
Encouraged, City stormed out the blocks in the second half and scored the decisive goal on 52 minutes.
Really it was a comedy of United errors. Ferdinand, chasing the ball back, was spooked by Gareth Barry running at him. His back pass to Van der Sar was poor and the keeper’s kick only found David Silva.
Michael Carrick looked to have rescued the situation but his unwise attempted pass to Paul Scholes was intercepted by Toure 30 yards from goal.
City fans do the Poznan in what was their first FA Cup semi-final in 30 years
It proved to be a memorable day for the blue half of Manchester as they defeated their rivals
Scholes seeing red for his wild tackle on Zabaleta killed off United’s hopes of a comeback
The studs marks are clearly visible on Zabaleta’s thigh after Scholes went in full throttle
There was still a lot of work to do but the Ivorian’s giant strides took him clear of Carrick and around Vidic before a scuffed shot went through Van der Sar’s legs to spark wild celebrations.
You could usually count on a United rally in those days, with Ferguson throwing on Javier Hernandez for Antonio Valencia in an effort to force extra time.
Moments after that sub, Nani’s free-kick deflected off Balotelli’s head in the wall and forced Hart to make a superb reflex save onto the bar.
But United’s hope was killed off 17 minutes from time when Scholes – in that classic Scholes manner – went full throttle into a 50-50 with Zabaleta near the halfway line.
Scholes went in studs-first, over a bouncing ball, and planted them into Zabaleta’s thigh, drawing blood. Referee Mike Dean really had no alternative.
As the final whistle confirmed City’s passage to a first FA Cup final since 1981, simmering tempers flared. Ferdinand and Anderson were infuriated as Balotelli gloated by thrusting the badge on his shirt in the direction of the United fans.
Ferdinand went after the Italian, while Anderson grabbed him by said shirt. Balotelli being Balotelli, he just winked at the United defender, who later criticised him on Twitter before apologising.
Balotelli decided to rile up the United fans by celebrating City’s victory as the whistle blew
That infuriated Rio Ferdinand – and other United players – who went after the Italian striker
Anderson grapples with David Platt as Roberto Mancini leads Balotelli away in the background
It was a sign of City’s glee that when the post-match incident was described to Mancini, he simply joked: ‘We can put him in jail? Next week, we can put him in jail for this.’
In the end, United lost to Guardiola’s outstanding Barcelona team in the Champions League final, meaning they claimed just one of their three trophy targets.
City beat Stoke to win the FA Cup for the first time since 1969. They’ve lifted a good few more since then, too.
