Man City Maintain Record of Finishing Above Man Utd Every Season Since Sir Alex Ferguson Retired

After Sunday's 2-1 defeat against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, Manchester United will fail to finish above Manchester City for the fourth consecutive season.

Not since Sir Alex Ferguson retired have the Red Devils managed to better their city rivals, having suffered a severe decline since the Scotsman's departure.

Ferguson won the title in his final season of 2012/13, but since then, under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, United have finished seventh, fourth and fifth.

Now under Jose Mourinho, the highest finish they can achieve is fifth place, although Champions League football could still come with victory in the Europa League final against Ajax.

Manchester City, meanwhile, were Premier League champions the season after Ferguson's retirement, before finishing second the following campaign and fourth last season.

Pep Guardiola's side currently sit fourth with two games to go this season and, despite a relatively underwhelming campaign, will once again have the bragging rights in Manchester.

Both sides, however, have been criticised for their perceived underachievement, particularly with both having spent extensively in last summer's transfer window.

Since Ferguson retired, United's net spend has come to £348m, while City's is even higher at £405m. The two clubs are comfortably the biggest spenders in the Premier League over the last four seasons, but have won just one Premier League title between them in that period.