A sincere apology, an old derby anecdote comes to light and is finally clarified

Manchester United and Manchester City are no strangers to feisty derby clashes. While derbies in England have undoubtedly changed in recent years, in comparison to how they were played in previous decades, they are still always played on the edge. There is always the chance of them spilling over, either on or off the pitch. The domestic success of the Blues since the takeover in 2008 has added a different element to the Manchester derby. It used to be United who came into the clash as favourites, but now, more often than not, it is City who are expected to win, regardless of the competition or venue.

An important complement, City takes advantage to play in the FA Cup

When the two sides met back in December 2017, it was, in many ways, a throwback encounter. It was an entertaining clash on the pitch, but it was events off the field that dominated the headlines. City took the lead at Old Trafford, with David Silva opening the scoring for the away side in the 43rd minute. However, Marcus Rashford levelled proceedings in added time of the first half. The first period had been an entertaining encounter, and the second half was just the same. The Blues, who had been on top for a lot of the clash, regained the lead through Nicolas Otamendi in the 54th minute, which proved to be the winning goal.

The Reds made 16 fouls while City recorded 10. Four of Jose Mourinho's men had been cautioned while two of Pep Guardiola's players had been carded. The fact that the game had to come to a conclusion was frustrating for the majority of spectators, the fiery game had been thoroughly entertaining, but the drama was far from over. After the game, as is the case following every match, the two managers shook hands. City had beaten their great rivals 2-1 to move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table. While Mourinho quickly headed for the tunnel, Guardiola celebrated with his staff before showing his appreciation towards the Blues fans.

Post-match duties saw Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, who was named Man of the Match, conduct TV interviews, while Sergio Aguero remained in the tunnel talking. The City players were celebrating their hard-fought victory, but with the away team dressing room being situated close to where the United coaches' lounge is located, things took an unexpected turn. Mourinho, frustrated at the result and the manner of his side's performance, walked to the door of the City dressing room and requested that the Blues players and staff keep the noise and music down, and show some more respect to their opponents. Ederson, who was standing close to the entrance, was annoyed by the Portuguese coach's request, and the pair allegedly began to hurl insults at each other.

Without a doubt, Guardiola ends the controversy and talks about Walker's status

Race to the title

City went on to win the Premier League title by 19 points that season, with United, who recorded 81 points, finishing in second position. It was recently confirmed that the next Manchester derby will take place on March 3 at the Etihad Stadium. These games rarely pass without incident but it's unlikely we'll see any pints of milk being thrown in the tunnel.