Manchester City: 10 Iconic Victories in the Noisy Neighbours' Recent History

After downing Newcastle United over the weekend, Manchester City, a team that at the beginning of the last decade was constantly flirting with the Championship, is now the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League and on track to win their first top-flight English football title since the '60s. So now seemed like as good of a time as any to relive some of the Noisy Neighbours' greatest victories in recent history. 

Here are 10 of City's greatest victories of the post-war era, including that 6-1 derby smash at the end of October, complete with video for re-living all those great moments. If you feel like waxing nostalgic, as always, have at it in the comments. Just make sure you've got plenty of room and some willing companions if you feel like doing the Poznán. 

Manchester City 3-1 Birmingham City: May 5, 1956

Manchester City have won a respectable five FA Cups since the competition's inception, but no final victory was more memorable than in 1956 when they beat Birmingham City, 3-1.

In the back of the net, City had Bert Trautmann, a former Luftwaffe pilot who began playing football in England after the war. Trautmann's arrival was initially met with prejudice from fans still healing from the scars of the Second World War, but his skills as a goalkeeper began to win them over. 

Trautmann's key moment came in this final, when he continued to play in the final minutes after breaking his neck. He made a few more key saves despite his potentially life-threatening injury, helped City keep their win and earn their third FA Cup and went on to become a cult hero at the club. 

Manchester City 4-3 Newcastle United, May 11, 1968

Manchester City defeated Newcastle United over the weekend to maintain their unbeaten record; they beat the Magpies more than 40 years ago to win their last title in the top flight of English football. 

City would finish first in the league, just two points over crosstown rivals Manchester United, and win their second and most recent division title. The celebration was so enthusiastic, assistant manager Malcolm Allison famously jumped off the team bus to revel with the fans. 

Manchester City 2-1 Górnik Zabrze, April 29, 1970

Manchester City's only major European trophy came in 1970 at the hands of Polish club Górnik Zabrze in the European Cup Winners' Cup. After City won the 1969 FA Cup, they ran through Athletic Bilbao, Lierse, Académica and Schalke 04 before facing their Polish adversaries.

City scored both their goals in the first half, with the opener arriving in the net just after the 10-minute mark courtesy of Neil Young (not to be confused with the Canadian rocker). An impressive Francis Lee doubled the lead, and Górnik were unable to catch up, giving City another piece of silverware. 

Manchester City 3-0 AC Milan, Dec. 6, 1978

Manchester City's iconic black and red away kits were the work of former manager Malcolm Allison, who thought wearing the colors of dominant European club AC Milan would be a source of inspiration for the club.

City racked up a bit of silverware under Allison with the Rossoneri-evoking kits, but in the UEFA Cup competition in 1978, they had a chance to best their kit inspiration at their own game. After a draw in the away leg, the Blues got a resounding victory at Maine Road, with Brian Kidd, who scored in the away leg, netting the first goal.

City would advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup that season, ousted by that year's champions, Borussia Mönchengladbach. 

Manchester City 5-1 Manchester United, Sept. 23, 1989

This is one of a few Manchester Derby victories that made this list; the Blue Moons' last major serious routing of the Red Devils in the local rivalry before that 6-1 win several weeks ago, a massive win at Maine Road. Australian striker David Oldfield made Gary Pallister's world a living nightmare, getting past United's defender to score an impressive brace alongside goals from Trevor Morley, Andy Bishop and Ian Hinchcliffe. 

Both sides finished in the bottom half of the table that season, but that match would stand out as a highlight for City supporters that season and in the ones that followed. 

Manchester City 1-0 Southampton, Mar. 16, 1996

This match wouldn't be impressive under most circumstances, except that it was one of the crowning performances of one of City's greatest cult heroes: Georgian international Georgi Kinkladze.

Kinkladze's gorgeous close-range shot put the Blue Moon ahead and is considered one of the top English footballing goals of that entire season. His stunning performances weren't quite enough to save City, though; they were relegated at the end of the season. 

Manchester City 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur, Feb. 4, 2004

Many of City's greatest moments have come during FA Cup matches, and this epic come-from-behind win at White Hart Lane was most certainly one of them. After a fiery Spurs scoring run started by Ledley King, City were down 3-0 at the half, a situation only made worse as Joey Barton was sent off, leaving them with only 10 men on the pitch. 

Then, several minutes into the second half, Sylvain Distin got a close-range goal to put City in the board, with Paul Bosvelt and Shaun Wright-Phillips following it up. As regulation time wound down, Jonathan Macken put in a header to give City an unlikely—and totally memorable—4-3 win. 

The FA Cup: Manchester City 1-0 over Manchester United and Stoke City, 2011

It was tough to make a call between these two for significance, so we'll include them both. 

City came into the derby FA Cup semifinal as underdogs against a Manchester United side who looked poised to—and would eventually win—the Premiership and were edging ever closer to the Champions League finals. The Blues were resurgent and set to finish in the top four, but fans still thought United would take the win. But Yaya Touré sealed the deal for City early in the second half, and they advanced to the finals against the odds. 

Then, the men in blue went on to beat Stoke City in the final on another Yaya Touré goal, winning their first major trophy since the '70s, a manifestation of several seasons of key transfers, managerial reshuffling and serious improvements finally coming to fruition. 

Manchester City 6-1 Manchester United, Oct. 23, 2011

If you're a Manchester City fan, we don't need to tell you what happened during this jaw-dropping match. You almost certainly already know. You might have even been following our coverage, or been in the stands at Old Trafford or were screaming at your television. You jumped and cheered at Mario Balotelli's brace and may have even bought a "Why Always Me?" shirt just because. 

Local media in Manchester even asked if this match was City's greatest victory of all time. And judging by the comments, quite a few fans definitely thought so. 

Bonus: Manchester City 3-1 Lech Poznán, Oct. 21, 2010

This is what an entire stadium of fans doing "the Poznán," the crazy, distinctive dance adopted by Manchester City fans after seeing Lech Poznán's supporters do the same, looks like.