Mourinho fails to match up as Guardiola takes Man City streets ahead

The same can be said for Alexis Sanchez. United beat City to his signature from Arsenal in January to much fanfare at the time.

When legendary United manager Alex Ferguson termed City the “noisy neighbours” over the signing of Carlos Tevez, their spending was cavalier.

Since those deep pockets have been married with Guardiola’s coaching, City are getting much more bang for their buck.

“They are a small club with a small mentality. All they can talk about is Manchester United, that’s all they’ve done and they can’t get away from it,” said Ferguson, angered at Tevez swapping sides of the Manchester divide.

There was a time with Ferguson in charge when City fans went to derbies more in hope than expectation. Guardiola has put the shoe on the other foot.