In one of the biggest matches of the season, in one of the biggest Manchester derbies in living memory, the clash of Man United and Man City more than fulfilled expectation, with the Red Devils surprisingly coming out as the victors, spoiling City's opportunity to claim the Premier League title at the Etihad against their fiercest rivals.
It was a tale of two halves: Man City pounded at Jose Mourinho's men in the first half without much parry from their opponents.
For their efforts, they nabbed two goals going into the break but probably should've managed more.
Raheem Sterling has been in superb form this season, but he was not the clinical finisher City needed to see the match off.
Paul Pogba pushed into an advanced position in the second period and claimed two neat goals, silencing his critics and most of the Etihad stadium. Chris Smalling scored Man United's third to make the turnaround complete.
The game had its share of talking points.
Ashley Young's tackle on Sergio Aguero should have been a penalty and even red card.
However, he may be the villain to the Citizens, but certainly not to Man United.
Reportedly it was his and Michael Carrick's half-time rallying cries that helped Man United pull themselves up and turn around the game.
According to the Daily Mail. "He reminded his team-mates what they owed to the fans and the club badge, and asked if they were happy to accept City supporters shouting 'olรฉ' as they were being humiliated.
Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera spoke about how he impressed he was for the two players taking responsibility for the poor first-half showing.
"Ash and Mike were in the dressing room," he said.
"They have the power in their words. But everyone was talking. We didn't talk too much about tactics, just about our pride.
"Our pride on the pitch and that our fans were going to have a difficult night if we got beaten. We did it for them."
Herrera spoke at great length about his affection for the side he's been at for four years.
"I was feeling sorry for them in the first half but this is Manchester United and no one should ever underestimate us. This is one of the best and most emotional games in my United career."
Words: Jacque Talbot
Featured Image Credit: PATopics:ย Manchester City, Football News, Football, Manchester United, Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young