Manchester United gatecrashed Manchester City’s title party in dramatic fashion on Saturday, coming from 2-0 down to win at the Etihad Stadium, effectively forcing the Citizens to put their champagne on ice after a pulsating Premier League ended 3-2 in the Red Devils’ favour.

Goals from Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan had put the title within touching distance (it still is, to be honest) but truth be told, City could have been out of sight but with Raheem Sterling having one of ‘those’ days when nothing came off, the door was ajar for United to come back in the second-half

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Galvanised by a rampaging Paul Pogba and reinvigorated Alexis Sanchez, United had levelled proceedings before City knew what had hit them and with the tide firmly in United’s favour, Chris Smalling would score the third to complete the comeback.

City weren’t done, however, and they threw the kitchen sink at their crosstown rivals it seemed they would salvage a draw but thanks to some dubious refereeing decisions, were forced to stomach a second loss in as many games.

Here are the five major talking points from arguably the most memorable Manchester Derby in recent history:

After Liverpool, Manchester City’s turn to prioritise the UEFA Champions League over Premier League

On the verge of exiting the UEFA Champions League, Pep Guardiola opted to rest his big guns for the Manchester Derby.

Not unlike what Jurgen Klopp had done earlier on Saturday for the Merseyside Derby and while it didn’t quite pan out for the German tactician as the tie ended in a scoreless draw, it definitely didn’t for his Catalan counterpart.

Playing Raheem Sterling as a false-nine was always going to be a risky decision, what with Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus both available for selection.

And benching your team’s best player—Kevin De Bruyne—was a call that required stones and while initially it looked like Guardiola would be vindicated, the Red Devils stormed aback in the second-half to throw a spanner in the works.

Manchester Derby 2018: A tale of two halves

At half-time the score read 2-0 in favour of the hosts but it could well have been five or even six had Raheem Sterling converted the gilt-edged chances that fell his way.

Still, the mood was undoubtedly of jubilation at half-time, with the Etihad buzzing as Premier League title was just 45 minutes away.

Initially it looked like United would be able to hold City at bay, but the floodgates opened with Vincent Kompany’s opener and Ilkay Gundogan would double their lead to seemingly put them out of sight.

A shellshocked United had no response and it looked like the Sky Blues would complete the rout in the second-half but the ‘Paul Pogba Show’ was running and the Citizens could do nothing but watch as their title dream, for a while at least, went up in smoke.

The flashy Frenchman, so often derided for his almost-weekly haircuts and lack of match-winning displays in ties such as these, came good on his immense promise.

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Of course, Pep Guardiola’s pre-game comments had added a whole lot of spice to an already tempestuous affair and United’s record-signing, came out like a Formula One car out of the blocks to single-handledly level the tie.

And from then on, the momentum was firmly with the visitors and while Chris Smalling will eventually be known as the match-winner, it was all about Alexis Sanchez (two assists) and Paul Pogba at the Etihad, along with that man in goal—David de Gea.

Sanchez looked reinvigorated post the break and Sergio Aguero thought he had scored only for de Gea to tip his header over the bar as United clung on for dear life in the closing stages.

In the end, it wasn’t pretty but United managed to hold out and record their most memorable win of the 2017-18 season hands-down.

Still a Premier League season to remember for Sky Blues

While City did have a stonewall penalty denied (and subsequent red card for Ashley Young) in the second-half, they only had themselves to blame.

After a season of wowing all and sundry, they can be forgiven for thinking that the tie was done and dusted at half-time, though.

Make no mistake, this is still Manchester City’s season. And what a season it has been.

Just two losses (so far, at least) is a remarkable stat but they way they have done it puts them above the great Chelsea and City sides of the past.

Are they as good as Alex Ferguson or even Arsene Wenger’s title-winning teams?

They are certainly up there for this has been domination in an unforeseen manner (Yes, even the Invincibles were arguably not on this level!) and the Blue Moon will rise over England, probably a couple of weeks later than initially envisaged, but it will.

And a derby to reminisce about for Red Devils

Every United fan from Tibet to Timbuktu would have had their hearts pumping on Saturday and sleep will not come until a long while for many.

At 2-0 down, United were dead and buried for all intents and purposes but they they showed grit to fight back at the home of the champions-elect (And their derby rivals, no less!) to register a comeback for the ages.

Not since the days of a certain Scot have the Red Devils managed to turn things around in dramatic fashion and no disrespect to the likes of Crystal Palace or Newcastle United, but it’s a totally different thing to do it away at the Etihad Stadium.

Much has been made of their travails their season, but it’s actually not that bad for Jose Mourinho’s men for they are second best only to City and the league table doesn’t lie.

They haven’t been perfect, far from it, but they have been pretty decent for most parts of the season and perhaps, they don’t quite get the credit they are due.

Saturday’s win, however, will give them hope that the next season they can close the gap and perhaps most importantly, City aren’t invincible.

Jose Mourinho’s gets one over his arch-nemesis…finally!

It was a long time in coming but Jose Mourinho finally managed to beat Pep Guardiola.

Since their days in the La Liga, the Portuguese has struggled to beat his Catalan counterpart and while it’s nothing to be ashamed of, this was a massive boost for the Special One’s confidence, without a doubt.

Everyone knew the stakes involved but at half-time it was all going horribly wrong for the visitors and whatever Mourinho told his players at the interval clearly worked.

Yes, Pogba and Sanchez changed the game while de Gea, as his is wont, made an unbelievable save, credit must be given to the manager for changing his tactics for the second-half and masterminding a terrific victory.