Ten years ago this weekend, Manchester United were finding the noisy neighbours hard on their heels in every conceivable way.
The first charity Santa Run staged by Manchester City happened to occur at precisely the same time as United's more established event. United could boast a solitary sky-blue Santa among the hundreds wearing red at their run. City could boast the first-team manager, Roberto Mancini, participating in theirs.
Sir Alex Ferguson ridiculed a fan who had 'Manchester City — Champions League winners 2011' tattooed on his shoulder — another example of the club getting carried away with itself, he said — correctly as things turned out.