Vincent Kompany got the Manchester derby as much as any Man City fan, as amazing moment proved

As a life-long Manchester City fan, it may seem a little odd that I don't think the most significant derby day win of the famous 2011/12 season was not the 6-1 demolition at Old Trafford.

Of course, it was brilliant. Those kind of results just didn't happen for myCity, never mind against Manchester United. Previous derby day wins were always met with the nonsense caveat of "we let you win it" or the more painful "it doesn't matter because we're going to win the league."

The 6-1 obviously rubbished those claims, although United did play almost half the game with 10 players. No, the night City saw off United at the Etihad Stadium with the Premier League title on the line for more to 14-year-old me.

Nerves don't get much bigger before the derby than those senses-shredding emotions of April 30, 2012. City and United were locked into one of the most topsy-turvy title races in history. City had blown a seemingly commanding lead, but a series of bizarre United performances had given Roberto Mancini's side a sniff of a comeback.

Three weeks previously United topped the table by eight points, but now City only trailed by three. As if the stakes couldn't get any higher and nerves any more frayed, the match was moved to a Monday night for TV. Under the floodlights at the Etihad Stadium, the atmosphere was intense.

Sitting in the third tier of the Colin Bell Stand, I felt goosebumps when the floodlights dimmed and a blue moon appeared on the big screen before the players walked out.

City were dominant. United only needed a draw to keep their grasp on the title, and that was reflected in how Sir Alex Ferguson set up his team. The visitors let City have the ball, placing the onus on them to push and probe to find a way through.

Samir