United dominate City... fans vote to light Manchester Town Hall RED on eve of derby



Manchester United have drawn first blood in the build up to Monday night's mouthwatering clash against neighbours City.

Fans of the Premier League leaders ensured the majority of Manchester Town Hall glowed with the red of their side on the eve of the derby clash, rather than the sky blue of their bitter rivals

In a pre-match competition, fans of both clubs voted to decide whether the city-centre landmark should be red or blue, and United fans romped to a resounding victory with 84 per cent of the vote.

Take it as red: Manchester Town Hall glows red after United fans won the vote over rivals City

The ‘No Likey, No Lighty’ off-pitch game, organised by Virgin Media, took place through social media site Twitter, and saw more than 20,889 messages of support sent for the two teams.



Fans were encouraged to tackle the question of who would triumph in the Manchester derby by tweeting special hashtags for their favourite team, and it was United fans who triumphed by sending more than two tweets per minute during the campaign generating a staggering 17,555 tweets in comparison to just 3,344 from City supporters.

The contest even attracted the attention of Manchester-born TV presenter Melanie Sykes and former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel - who were gunning for United - and former City legend, Franny Lee and Daybreak TV presenter John Stapleton, who were backing the blue half.



Dominant: The Red of United leaves room for barely a sliver of blue

As well as attracting celebrities, ‘No Likey, No Lighty’ also went global drawing in United and City fans from across the world including supporters in South Africa, India, USA, Australia, Venezuela and New Zealand.

But the real contest begins at Old Trafford on Monday evening. City are hoping to avenge the 3-2 home defeat at the Etihad earlier this season by toppling United in their own back yard.



The last time the League holders played at Old Trafford in the league, they famously crushed a 10-man United side 6-1, with now AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli bagging a brace.

Bitter: Sergio Aguero (centre) won the Premier League for City on the final day of the season

Job done: City players look disappointed after receiving the killer blow from their neighbours at the Etihad