City Vault: 5 fascinating facts of Kevin Keegan’s City era

It’s the 25th anniversary today of Kevin Keegan’s first match as Manchester City manager.

Men's Team

Keegan was box office - Bernstein

It was the starting gun for a quite unbelievable season which saw the Blues achieve promotion to the Premier League in fine style with a team dubbed ‘The Entertainers’.

To mark the moment, here are five facts about King Kev’s time as boss of the Blues.

Stinging the Hornets…

Kevin Keegan’s first game in charge was not only his debut in the dugout, it was also the opening match for his opposite number, Italian legend Gianluca Vialli, who had taken over at Watford that summer.

Vialli had won five major trophies in three years while boss at Stamford Bridge – the FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup – and replaced the retiring Graham Taylor at Vicarage Road.

Keegan won the battle of the new bosses with City running out 3-0 winners after goals from Shaun Goater, Eyal Berkovic and Stuart Pearce in front of 33,939 fans at Maine Road.

While Keegan famously got the Blues promoted in top spot, Vialli could only manage a 14th-place finish for the Hornets and departed at the end of the season. It was prove to be his last job in management.

It’s terribly sad to think both men, true football icons, are no longer with us.

100-up!

City’s 108 goals in that promotion-winning 2001/02 campaign remains a 21st century record in England’s top four tiers of football – and the Blues make a second appearance in the top five list!

Pep Guardiola’s ‘Centurions’ scored 106 goals on top of their 100 points on the way to Premier League glory in 2017/18.

Peterborough also scored 106 goals in their 2010/11 League One campaign under Darren Ferguson as well as Marco Silva’s Fulham in 2021/22 as they were promoted back to the top-flight as champions.

The final name on the list is Chelsea who managed 103 goals in 2009/10 as Carlo Ancelotti’s Blues achieved a Premier League and FA Cup double.

Top of the Pops…

Kevin Keegan was the first manager in the Premier League era to win the First Division title with two different clubs.

Mick McCarthy (Sunderland and Wolves) and Daniel Farke (Norwich and Leeds) have done so since.

King Kev first achieved it with Newcastle United – a club very close to his heart.

He’d finished his career as a player at Newcastle in 1984 - famously leaving the pitch in a helicopter while in full kit and then sensationally returned to Tyneside as manager in 1992 following the dismissal of Ossie Ardiles.

He took the club on a spectacular journey over the next five years, gaining promotion to the Premier League in 1992/92 before finishing as runners-up to Manchester United in both the 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons.

Keegan then successfully led the Blues to the promised land in that famous 2001/02 campaign which will live long in the memory.

Derby double…

Kevin Keegan won the last ever Manchester derby at Maine Road and the first ever Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium – but that tells only part of the story.

In November 2002, King Kev guided City to a 3-1 victory over United as Nicolas Anelka’s opener followed by a double from Shaun Goater ensured jubilation on this most treasured of days.

In the process, Keegan became the first Blues boss to triumph in the fixture since Mel Machin in September 1989 when City won the Maine Road Massacre 5-1.

There were 16 games in all competitions between those victories, with ten wins for United and six draws.

Meanwhile, in March 2004, Keegan guided City to a 4-1 victory over United in the derby debut in our new home, then called the City of Manchester Stadium.

It was the first time since 1981 that City had won back-to-back home league games against United.

That included a November 1979 2-0 triumph over the Red Devils courtesy of goals from Tony Henry and Mick Robinson followed up by a February 1981 1-0 triumph over our neighbours after Steve MacKenzie’s deciding goal.

Keegan was a Special One!

Chelsea were a formidable force under Jose Mourinho in his debut season in charge as they won the Premier League in 2004/05 – their first title in 50 years!

It was a team boasting a brilliant backline featuring John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole and Paulo Ferreira alongside anchor man Claude Makelele and they still hold the defensive records for most clean sheets and fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season.

In fact, they only lost one game that season – and yes, it was to Kevin Keegan’s City!

The match in question was in September 2005 as a Nicolas Anelka 11th-minute penalty ensured a 1-0 triumph for the Blues at the Etihad Stadium.

Anelka, who would go on to play for Chelsea later in his career, stroked home the spot-kick after being brought down by Paulo Ferreira.

To add insult to injury, City drew with Chelsea in the away game at Stamford Bridge ensuring we were unbeaten against the champions in this campaign.

David James was in splendid form that evening, denying Damien Duff, Jiri Jarosik and Mateja Kezman, while Paul Bosvelt cleared a header from William Gallas off the line.