Manchester City have for the second time beaten a Manchester United record that lasted over fifty years.
Pep Guardiola ’s free-scoring side has raced to second place in the all-time English goalscoring.
The famous Busby Babes set a new goal scoring record in England when they scored 143 goals in a season, winning the league, reaching the FA Cup final and making it to the European Cup semi-finals.
That record was crushed by Manuel Pellegrini ’s City team in 2014 as they scored 156 goals on their way to winning the Premier League and League Cup, as well as reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals and the last-16 of the Champions League.
The current Manchester City team under Guardiola are poised to surpass the total, needing just 13 goals from the remaining games this season to set a new record.
City’s two goals against Fulham over the weekend took them to 144 for the season, one more than United managed in the Fifties.
Ironically, United broke the record helped greatly by a club record 10-0 European win over Anderlecht – a game played at City’s Maine Road ground as Old Trafford had no floodlights at the time.
United achieved their feat in 57 games, and Pellegrini’s City team outstripped it by 13 goals while playing exactly the same number of games.
Guardiola’s side are on course to beat the record – and they have beaten United’s best in just FIFTY games.
Their tally includes a 9-0 win over Burton Albion, 7-0 victories over Schalke and Rotherham and six-hits against Huddersfield, Southampton, Chelsea and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Pellegrini’s team managed a Blues’ Premier League record win of 7-0 against Norwich and also stuck six past Spurs, Arsenal, and West Ham.
Should City get to the final of the Champions League and FA Cup, they could still play another 14 games this season.
Manchester City are ready to make a move for Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez, if a deal for West Ham’s Declan Rice turns into an auction.
City have been tracking Rice for some years now, and they believe he is capable of fitting into Pep Guardiola’s side.
Guardiola has been given the go ahead to chase the youngster, but they are not alone in their admiration for the player with German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both interested.
Chelsea are also long-term admirers but it is Manchester United who are set to spoil the party as sources close to the Red Devils believe they will match any offer for the 20-year-old.
City are not looking to get into an auction for the player, and as a result are looking at other options.
And top of their list is Niguez – like Rice – a player their hierarchy have been tracking for a long time.
City believe that a deal around £65million would be enough to land the 24-year-old Spanish international, and they also think that a deal for Rice would already exceed that figure.