There are certain moments and games in football, especially at a younger age, that you simply don't forget. You seem to remember all of the goals, players, moments and emotions, and this was exactly one of those games where I seem to remember everything.

For me, Manchester United's 4–3 victory over rivals Manchester City has to be the most entertaining and fulfilling game of football I have watched. Even now, years later, the mention of that particular game brings back one image: the ball from Ryan Giggs to Michael Owen, breaking through the City defence and sliding it into the bottom corner.

It was the 96th minute. The game had already had six goals. But there was still another twist. And that is exactly why I will never forget this game.

Not a Typical Manchester Derby

Looking back now, it is easy to forget just how important the timing of this match was. Manchester United were the reigning Premier League champions and still very much the established force in English football. City, meanwhile, were changing quickly. Their takeover had transformed what was possible for the club, they had spent heavily during the summer and they had started the league season with four straight victories.

But there was one storyline, away from the fixture itself, that felt different: Carlos Tevez. After two seasons at Manchester United and playing an important role in the Premier League and Champions League successes, Tevez had switched to the blue side of Manchester. The move was controversial enough on its own, but City then leaned into the rivalry with their now-famous “Welcome to Manchester” campaign.

It had made the fixture that little bit spicier. City were no longer simply turning up at Old Trafford hoping to cause an upset. They were beginning to present themselves as a club that genuinely believed they could compete with United. In hindsight, we know just how much the Manchester rivalry would change over the following decade, but this felt like one of the first matches where you could really sense that change beginning.

Fast Start

Wayne Rooney didn't allow the game to linger for too long, putting United ahead after just two minutes. It was the perfect start and, at that point, it felt like the type of game United would simply go on and dominate without too much trouble. Instead, the pattern of the game remained consistent all afternoon: United would go ahead. City would come back. Again and again.

Gareth Barry equalised in the 16th minute after Tevez capitalised on an error, sending the sides into half-time level at Manchester United 1–1 Manchester City.

Two Different Halves

Just four minutes after the restart, Darren Fletcher restored United's lead. Ryan Giggs delivered the ball and Fletcher headed home. 2–1. Three minutes later, Craig Bellamy produced one of the goals of the match, finding the top corner to make it 2–2.

The feeling of that ball hitting the net had fans on the edge of their seats, glued to the television. That sequence sums up the game perfectly. Every time United seemed to have regained control, City found something. And every time City dragged themselves back into it, United went again.

As the second half progressed, the match stopped feeling like a normal league fixture. There was barely any control. Both teams seemed capable of scoring whenever they attacked. Then, with ten minutes remaining, Fletcher did it again. Another Ryan Giggs delivery. Another Fletcher header. Manchester United 3–2 Manchester City.

Darren Fletcher's brace is an element of the game that many people will forget about, overshadowed by the last-minute winner or Craig Bellamy's wonder strike. But he was such an integral part of the side that won the game. Two goals from a central midfielder in a Manchester derby is huge, especially when both of them regained the lead for United.

Then Craig Bellamy Made It 3–3

By the 90th minute, United were still leading. After everything that had happened, it looked like they had finally done enough. Then Rio Ferdinand tried to lift the ball over Bellamy. It did not work. Bellamy took advantage, raced towards goal and finished from a tight angle past Ben Foster. 3–3. City had equalised for a third time.

I think that is an important part of why the winner is so memorable. If United had simply scored a late fourth after leading comfortably, it would still have been a great derby moment. But they had been forced to win the game over and over again: 1–0 became 1–1. 2–1 became 2–2. 3–2 became 3–3. By that stage, surely that had to be it. But no. There was still one more moment to come...

95:27

The part that everyone remembers, on both sides of Manchester. The match had headed deep into stoppage time, but United weren't there for one point. They wanted all three. The ball eventually reached Ryan Giggs just outside the City penalty area. Giggs looked up and played one of those passes that seems incredibly simple once you have seen it, but only because the weight of it is perfect.

Michael Owen had drifted into the space between the City defenders. One touch. Right-footed finish. Bottom corner. 4–3.

Officially, the goal was recorded in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Giggs supplied his third assist of the afternoon and Owen finished past Shay Given to settle one of the most dramatic Manchester derbies ever played. Michael Owen had done the unthinkable.

The goal itself wasn't massively special — no tricks, no overhead kick, just a clinical finish from such a prolific striker. And then the place exploded. For all the debate afterwards about added time, none of that is what I remember when I think about the game. I remember Owen wheeling away. I remember the United players chasing him. I remember the feeling that City had somehow come back three separate times and still had not managed to leave Old Trafford with anything. That is the memory.

Michael Owen – Manchester United Legend?

Michael Owen is an interesting player in Manchester United history. When you think of his career, United probably aren't the first club that comes to mind. He won the Ballon d'Or at Liverpool, played for Real Madrid and had already spent years as one of England's most famous strikers before he ever arrived at Old Trafford. He also joined United wearing the number seven shirt. That alone meant there was going to be pressure.

But one moment can completely change the way a player is remembered by a fanbase. For United supporters, this was Owen's moment. He would score other goals for the club, but nothing could realistically compete with this. Owen himself later described scoring such a dramatic derby winner as one of the highlights of his career. And you can understand why. You could spend three or four successful seasons at a club and never get an opportunity like that. Owen got one. And he took it.

Seven Goals, Seven Moments

Even the scoring sequence reads like something somebody would create for a football game:

Three United leads. Three City equalisers. And then one final goal. You could not really design a better derby.

More Than a Game

One of the things that makes this fixture even more interesting looking back is where it sits in the history of the two clubs. United were still champions. City were coming. Nobody watching that afternoon, or even during that season, could have known exactly what the next 15 years would have in store for both Manchester clubs.

It would become a complete shift from what had come before. The following years would bring the 6–1 at Old Trafford, Sergio Agüero's title-winning goal, title races between the clubs, cup finals and a complete transformation in City's position within English football. But at the time, one thing was still clear: United could still find a way to beat City despite their money, players, ambition and desire. That makes the match feel like a snapshot of a rivalry at the exact moment it was starting to change.

It Has Aged Pretty Well

This is not just nostalgia talking either. When the Premier League held its 20 Seasons Awards in 2012, this match was voted the competition's best match from its first 20 seasons. That is quite a statement when you think about the number of ridiculous Premier League games that had already taken place.

And I think the reason is simple. It had virtually everything people associate with the league: big players, rivalry, mistakes, great goals, late goals, momentum constantly changing, a controversial subplot and a winner arriving so late that one team thought the game should already have finished. Even Shay Given, despite conceding four and ending up on the losing side, later selected it as his favourite Premier League match. That probably tells you everything.

Michael Owen. 96th minute. Manchester derby. 4–3. Some game.

How Much of This Game Do You Actually Remember?

This is also the type of match that sums up exactly why we built FootyRecall. The big moments are easy. Most football fans will remember Michael Owen's winner. Plenty will remember Bellamy's goals. Some will remember Rooney scoring early. But how many remember Fletcher's two?

Could you name the starting XIs that day? Who wore the number 10 shirt for Manchester City in 2009? Where did they finish that season? That is where football memory gets interesting. You remember the game. But how much of the game do you really remember?