Gareth Barry has named Manchester City's iconic victory over Manchester United in the lead up to their first Premier League title triumph as the greatest atmosphere he has ever played in.
City famously clinched the Premier League for the first time in 2012 with Sergio Aguero's remarkable winner versus QPR but the momentum in the race swung into their favour a few weeks earlier. The Blues had been eight points behind leaders United in mid-April but when their cross-town rivals dropped points to Wigan and Everton the door was left open for them to sneak in and take top spot.
In a fiery Manchester derby with everything on the line, City emerged victorious through Vincent Kompany's header and they went on to lift the trophy following a dramatic final day. Barry still remembers the excellent atmosphere at the Etihad that night.
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“That for me is the best atmosphere I’ve played in," he told City's in-house media. "It was electric, a night game, we knew if we beat them, it was in our own hands.
“(United were) the big scalp we needed and if we won that we’d probably be expected to go on and win the title. For me the defensive performance was incredible, United were possibly playing for a draw but we were pressing and didn’t give them space at all.
“Mancini’s tactics were spot on. We were surprised really, the United way especially in that era wasn’t to sit back. It did feel that the way we set up stopped them from attacking. They very rarely had any chance on goal. The fans played their part, got right behind the team and the noise levels were something I hadn’t felt on the pitch before.”
Barry believes the team spirit within Roberto Mancini's squad helped them secure the title that year.
“The dressing room was huge that season,” Barry added. “The team was pretty settled for the last six games, but the moments that the lads had previously to that were huge and the dressing room was really together.
“It was one of the best I played in throughout my career. There were ups and downs but there was never too much bickering going on and we were really together. There were some big characters in there, we all stuck together and we needed to that year.”
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