Scorers: Manchester United: Rooney 2, Fletcher 49, 80, Owen 90+6

               Manchester City:     Barry 16, Bellamy 52, 90

Manchester United won an impossibly exciting Manchester derby thanks to a Michael Owen strike that the blue half of the city will have described as ‘beyond’ stoppage time.

The fourth official signalled a minimum of four minutes to be added on when Craig Bellamy’s second goal of the game levelled matters at 3-3.

But as well as adding time for a United substitution during stoppage time, referee Martin Atkinson added almost a minute for the understandably raucous on-field celebrations of Manchester City’s goal.

Owen’s winner, from a sublime pass by the outstanding Ryan Giggs, came five and a half minutes after Bellamy’s strike.

However, if City felt hard done by at the very, very end, they had keeper Shay Given to thanks for being remotely in touch at that stage.

The Irishman pulled off a string of second-half saves as United threatened to overwhelm City in the second half.

He twice denied Giggs and Berbatov, with one save from the latter’s header particularly stunning.

But shoddy defending contributed as much to the fun as any attacking play or errant time-keeping.

Wayne Rooney put the Reds ahead on two minutes, forcing home Patrice Evra’s cut-back from the by-line after City fell asleep at a throw-in.

Garth Barry drew City level when Carlos Tevez dispossessed United keeper Ben Foster and squared the ball to him.

Darren Fletcher headed United back in front from a Giggs cross on 49 minutes before Bellamy breezed in-between two hesitant defenders and unleashed a screamer form the edge of the box.

Another routine Fletcher header from a Giggs free-kick restored the Reds’ advantage. But Rio Ferdinand gifted City a third equaliser.

He lobbed the ball straight to Martin Petrov, who sent Bellamy away to outpace the defence, round Foster and slide the ball home from a narrow angle.

Then substitute Owen sealed matters, five-and-a-half minutes later.