To concede a goal 90 seconds into the time added on to the added time, after such a gallant and enterprising effort, could easily be a mortal blow to the spirit.
But when the dust has settled on what could be the best Manchester derby in history - to a neutral, of course - City can take huge encouragement from their display.
There was never any doubt that this would be the true test of how far the Blues have come, and when it comes to making that measure, you can set the result to one side.
The faces of the City players said it all as they emerged into an empty Old Trafford for a warm-down - hardly a word was spoken, such was the disappointment.
That spoke of a new era dawning for City, and so did the fact that for most of the first-half they scared the hell out of United with a display of effective possession football which was sharpened by the bite and fight of Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy.
Three times the Premier League champions knocked them down, and three times they got back up, only to be finally floored by the cruel vagaries of the referee's watch.
It was a fighting display which must have earned the respect of watching former world boxing champion Joe Calzaghe with the Blues more than happy to go toe to toe with English football's top KO merchants.
It was supreme irony that, when the fourth official held up the board to denote there would be four extra minutes, it was Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson who was apoplectic.
With his side leading 3-2, he wanted to know where they had come from. In the end, he was glad that it was only a loose estimate, and that the referee actually played over six minutes - time enough for Michael Owen to grab some glory.
City ability
And yet City proved, over 90-odd pulsating minutes, that they have what it takes to match the big boys, in terms of ability, squad strength and sheer spirit.
To go behind after just 112 seconds after switched-off defending allowed Wayne Rooney in, was bad enough. Some teams crumble at Old Trafford when given such a morale-crusher so early on, but three times City bounced back.
There are some serious questions to be asked about the defence, and that inquest began last night with Joleon Lescott being brutally honest that the back four's performance was not good enough.
Too many balls made their way into the box, and too many times United won the resultant headers, and that's worrying.
But on the front foot, City were superb. Tevez, inevitably, led the charge and hassled keeper Ben Foster into the mistake which allowed him to roll a pass into the path of Gareth Barry for a consummate finish.
United hit back again, Darren Fletcher allowed to rise unchallenged and head them back in front.
The response was breathtaking as Bellamy cut in from the left and hammered a shot which threatened to break the net and fly straight at the 3,000 City fans in the south-east quadrant.
Again Fletcher headed in. For it to happen once is bad, twice a real shocker.
But again Bellamy, who is making it impossible for the manager to drop him once Robinho is fit, had the answer.
He was alert when Rio Ferdinand's sloppy free-kick found Martin Petrov, taking the pass and haring away from the big United man before brilliantly slipping the ball past Foster.
They were goals which deserved to win a game, in a display which deserved a point, but it was not to be - referee Martin Atkinson and his Swiss cheese timekeeping saw to that.
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I think we've got a point to prove and we should go out and do it on Wednesday night...
The media is failing in its exporation of the injury time issue to ask where the original four minutes came from. If it's due to the substitutions or goal celebration time, then why after Man Utd scored five second half goals against Wigan on August 22, in which half there were a total of six substitutes used, was there a minimum of only two minutes of added time with the final whistle after 92:48?
In yesterday's game there were three second half substitutions and no injuries whatsoever. If you add thirty seconds per substitution (which is a guideline figure in any event) there is cause only for an extra one and a half minutes only. Can anyone answer where the other additional two and a half minutes came from?
I would also use City's game last week against Arsenal as an example. Five second half goals, four substitutions and actual delay caused by the Adebayor celebration incident. Time of the full time whistle? 94:18.
You only have to look at the reaction from Ferguson and Neville to realise how terrified they were. Abject panic. And when you've scraped a win in the seventh minute of "injury time" what do you do ? Why you claim that "it should have been 6-0" and that "City were lucky" to deflect attention from your undeserved win. Fergie was on television within seconds to proclaim his team but he's not bothered by City of course. We won't be the bigger team in his lifetime ! Bet Fergie saw his life flashing before him !
Anyway, the nation saw what the nation saw and that was fear !
"......And yet City proved, over 90-odd pulsating minutes, that they have what it takes to match the big boys....."
Don't make me laugh. City were battered in the 2nd half, the nowhere near world class Tevez was as wasteful as ever, (Bellamy was far superior to him), and United gifted 2 of City's goals!! 6-1 to United would have been a more fitting scoreline.
I left feeling proud to be a Blue. Went saw a great game and never once resorted to throwing coins at both players or fans.
PROUD OF THE WAY WE PLAYED, WE WERE UNLUCKY TO COME AWAY WITH NOTHING. BUT OUR ATTITUDE SAID IT ALL. AND I AM CONFIDENT WE WILL BE BACK TO WINNING WAYS COME WEDNESDAY. AS ONE HICUP DOES NOT MEAN THE FLUE ANY MORE.
CTID.
Poor defending by both teams shouldn't take away the fact that we scared the life out of them and could/should have had a point. By far the best team in the first half (after the poor opening) we should have gone in in front. Yes, they forced us back in the second half but that is the what they do to every other team and yet still we came back, and back, with the 2 best goals of the game by far. This is a blip in our progression onwards and upwards... 12 points from 15 with 2 games against the so called 'big four'...Lets get right behind the lads on Wednesday for what is a real chance of a trophy to win this season
Move on, bring on fulham and the hammers, can`t wait for the return match though.
Bellamy has been outstanding so far this season!! as for the oxygen thief that ran onto the pitch at the end, If bellamy had run into the crowd, he could rightly have expected to get a cuffing, therefore the same rule should apply. The cretin should get a lifeban, will he get one? I doubt it very much. As for Alan Wiley, he's probably receiving the keys to his new box at the swamp this morning!!!
Move on, we've played 5, won 4 and lost 1 away at the home of the Champions, whilst Manure despite all their celebrating like they'd won the world cup, and all their scraggy fans gloating over their narrow win, have played 6, won 5 and lost 1 against the mighty Burnley!
I know which record I would rather have at this stage of the season...
We've got more important games to come now against better opposition... let's take this defeat on the chin, it's only a blip, and start again...
Tick tock...
Best derby my butt. If you're a neutral who just wants a high scoring contest then perhaps, but if you want high quality football then yesterday was lacking. Bellamy was brilliant, his 1st goal was pure class, his 2nd finish too was a great taken goal, but came on a defensive howler. In fact all goals in the game came from defensive lapses or mistakes, Manure weren't even playing to their potential.
I disagree with Baconface's notion they would have won 7 nil, but aside from our goals and the save off SWP (that was going wide anyway), how much pressure did we actually put on Manure over 90?
If we want to crack the top 4, then not only do we have to dispatch the crap mid table and relegation fodder ruthlessly, we have to be taking points off the top 4. Last week was a great result but i doubt that would have transpired at the Emirates. If Hughes' gameplan when we got to Anfield or Stamford Bridge is to rely on opponent mistakes for our goals, keep playing crap defensively (we were lucky in all our clean sheets) and are always overpowered by superior midfields (notice how all top 4 teams keep possesion for long periods with their ball control.....i've not once seen this yet from a Hughes side) then we might as well pray because we will be leaving it to luck to get anything from those games.
I was disappointed by Lescott but not as much as I am with Richards. We have conceded 6 goals in 2 games vs 2 of the status quo. Hull lost cruelly in a similar fashion at the Swamp last season after scoring 3 themselves and scaring the living daylights out of the Rags but his admision after the game was honest: "you can't concede 4 goals in any game of football and expect to get anything from it".
Did we lose because of the time added on? No, I wish everyone would shut up about this, we lost because we deserved to. They still had to put the ball in the net and Micah decided he couldnt concentrate for the final 30 seconds (some would say after his lapses vs Everton at home and WBA away last season this should be "3 strikes and out".....I am almost in that boat as i'm fed up with him)
We had a multi million dollar squad that played like a pub side for the majority of the 2nd half and the glaring deficiencies were still to be seen, the same things that plagued us last season away from home. Different faces, same mistakes (or same brown stuff, different smell to put it more aptly). We didn't even have a midweek European game yet De Jong and Ireland were doing their press interviews about how we would show up on Sunday (someone might want to send them copies of their interviews to watch)
The last derby which was truly a classic and both teams played to their abilities, goals, comebacks, miraculaous saves by both keepers etc was back in '93 at Maine Rd. Manure had won 18 and drawn 1 of their last 20 coming to Maine Rd, and we took them all the way in one of the bravest derbies. We went up by 2 from Quinn, Schmeicel and Coton made fabulous saves at both ends, and the Rags mowed us down 3-2 with their 2nd goal an almost carbon copy of their winner yday, instead of Owen on the end of it it was Cantona (Giggs 16yrs later had it easier yday because of the lax marking).
Most derbies between that one and yday have just been 1 sided results or just passionless, boring ecounters with both teams not playing to their potential. We had the personnel yday and didnt execute.
You can't get robbed when you are stealing a point in the first place, Manure werent at their best, and we didnt do oursleves justice aside from 2 or 3 players for the 90. Were we gutsy? Sure and that was good to see, but last time I checked guts wasnt the only criteria for qualifying for the CL.
We did most things right yesterday and can rightly say that this is proof that we are on the cusp of becoming a top four team, in all likelihood this season. Not many teams will get the chance to batter us like the rags did yesterday for 30 minutes. And nobody else will enjoy the same level of help from the officials.
Bring on the rest of the season!
Came out of the swamp yesterday,thought i was in a foreign land not a nice experience.
Ihaveadream, chorlton
pratt! and we did not gift you all 4 goals did we??
you reckon 6-1, when we scored 3 and hit the post what an idiot you are!
you should expect to have a period of play at home where you dominate, yet the statistics prove the passage of play was only 51% to 49% in your favour, you are indeed brainwashed by your leader and i bet you did not even go to the game.
The fact is yet again utd were given points by blatant cheating and favouratism.The 4 minutes extra time went up after we had levelled at 3-3 and at no point was the game stopped for injuries.
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
How many points on average are the rags given in a season, is it the difference between silverware and no silverware?
CTID bring on the return!!
Sat there in the North Stand with the score at 3-3 and was genuinely disappointed that City hadn't won. That particular United team was there for the taking and if City had started less nervously, they would have won. One City player in particular gave the ball away three times in the first 90 seconds (not into slagging off individuals any more as it just doesn't help). I think 2 or 3 of the City players just didn't believe in themselves and that was the difference. Hopefully we can move to a higher plateau from here. United were rattled big time!!!
Ihaveadream, chorlton, 11:11: Oh dear, no friends to talk to this morning? What a pathetic argument and not even yours - the ever classless and ungracious ferguson came out with the same stupid line yesterday. Please enlighten us - which of the goals scored yesterday were the result of classy attacking rather than defensive blunders - Rooney's? no, Barry's? no, Flether's deflected 1st? no, Bellamy's 1st, yes, Fletcher's 2nd? maybe, Bellamy's 2nd?, no, Owen's winner? no. So, if, as you suggest, we take out the defensive mistakes, a "fitting" score was 0-1 to City or 1-1. Also remember, your other chances were saved by a man called the goalkeeper - you have to get the ball past him to score. If you paid £32 million for a stiker who can't do that, it's nobody's fault but your own.
Now that we have all calmed down and this morning having read through the reams of differing stories from the rag loving media, the one thing stands out for me which typifies just how fickle some journo's actually are! One story even suggested that Fabio Cappello should now be taking a look at Micheal Owen!!! Why? Even my missus would have scored that goal given the amount of space and time he was afforded by Richards and SWP!! Unbelievable, NO OWEN should not go to SA - especially not at the expense of someone that deserves to go! Muppets.
Ferguson said pre match that we had lost our star player.Really?Even if it had been a draw he would be blowing hot air.
Our next real test doesnt come until the trip to Anfield in Nov, we have West Ham, Villa, Wigan, Fulham, Birmingham and Burnley in between.
Villa are the only genuine test in that list but whether we are playing them home or away, if we have players starting to return from injury/suspension etc, you'd have to say 15/16 pts is what we should be targeting before the trip to Anfield.
Is this being unrealistic? I dont think so, not especially now given our start and no European football to distract us. We have on paper the ability to beat most of not all those teams.
Couple of things for me. i cannot get over how many reds say that it should have been something nil because our goals came from their mistakes!! it's just unbelieveable, so utd's 1st (mistake by our defence) 2nd, 3rd and 4th (all mistakes due to poor marking) should equally not be counted. So in essence a no score draw would have been a fair result. No, of course not, so stop talking like the pond life that you are and realise that when put under pressure your defence is crap. Finally , when will we stop talking about Bellamy and how he can't be dropped for Robinho, dead right he can't, he should be the first name on the team sheet. Take heed Ireland and Richards, Bellamy is the standard setter for how to play when your place is up for grabs. Well done the team on Sunday, great to see us really competing for a Derby unlike last seasons dismal 2 nil loss at the tip.
City deserved something but they played the referee as well. All Givens 3 saves I would expect him to make and both Tevez and Richards had further chances. City have got the better players overall, only Rooney would get in our team, but it is only 5 games in and they will gell and we will do ok.
If the added time was for "celebrations" why did the ref blow 16 seconds after the restart ? Surely by his logic he should have added a further minute for unit@ds celebrations !
Wonder if the Referee Wiley is subjected to the same scrutiny as Ade and Bellamy? The extra time was a joke, if the ball had gone anywhere near the Reds goal he would have blown for time. As usual the FA will do FA.
Blue Sky at Night, Manchester
21/09/2009 at 10:58
Very good points that you make. You know it, I know it, Fellow Blues and the rest of the country knows it. Even Swamp Dwellers know it but the majority of them won't admit it. The time-keeping was inaccurate and once again biased towards Utd. It's been happening for years. Unfortunately, if it hadn't been for poor defending we maybe wouldn't have even been in a position to lose the match, but credit to the lads for getting up off the floor 3 times.
The game nowadays is full of inconsistencies and mainly balanced in favour of the so-called big 4.
In particular, no team gets anything at The Swamp without really earning it. Fact.
City just have to accept it and get on with doing their talking on the pitch. Same attitude as yesterday, alongside better defending, will get us where we want to be.
The added time on was proper, City scored after the 4 mins was posted by the official. Do the math, don't be poor losers, losers.
United fan, USA