Top 5 Manchester Derby Goalscorers of All Time

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It’s the 189th Manchester derby this weekend when Erik ten Hag looks to move on from the 6-3 thrashing back in October.

Given Manchester City’s rise in the past decade, it’s become arguably the biggest derby in English football, so we take a look at the top five goalscorers in Manchester derby history.

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) - 11

Wayne Rooney sits out on his own as the best goalscorer in Manchester derby history.

After signing in 2004/05, Rooney scored in his first season at United against City, netting at the Etihad. He then scored in the 2006/07 campaign before going on to bag nine more goals before leaving for Everton in 2017, where he also scored for them at the Etihad in his second spell with the Toffees.

Rooney's best spell against the Citizens came in 2012/13 when he scored two in a 3-2 win the year United won the title back. In fact, United's all-time top scorer netted five of his 11 goals at the Etihad and was always a menace for the City backline.

Joe Hayes (Manchester City) - 10

Despite Rooney leading the way, it’s City players who dominate this list.

Joe Hayes bagged 10 times against United from 17 appearances, making him one of the most prolific Manchester derby goalscorers and with one of the best goals to game ratios too.

In total, Hayes scored 152 goals in 363 appearances for the Citizens, making him their third highest goalscorer of all time.

Francis Lee (Manchester City) - 10

City legend, Francis Lee, was part of the famous City era that won the First Division, FA Cup and League Cup in the space of three seasons. Lee matched Hayes’ record in 15 games, making his goals to game ratio even better, as the two held the Manchester derby top scorer record until Rooney’s 11th goal in 2013/14.

In fact, from Lee's 249 league appearances, he scored more goals against United than any other team.

Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) - 9

It looked for a bit of time that Sergio Aguero would end up being the top scorer in Manchester derbies, as he just kept on scoring against the Red Devils.

However, he ended up moving to the bench in his final season at City and missed four derbies through injury. A move to Barcelona meant he finished on nine goals, but he still has the best goals to game ratio on this list.

Aguero netted on his first match against United, which actually came in the famous 6-1 thrashing at the Etihad.

He then went on to score at least one goal in the next two seasons, including three in the 2014/15 season where he won the Golden Boot with 26 Premier League goals. Six more games would pass before he scored in a 3-1 win, which was his ninth and last derby goal.

Bobby Charlton (Manchester United) - 9

Bobby Charlton held countless goalscoring records with United until Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo arrived, as he scored nine goals against City across his glamorous 17 years with United.