It's over! City supporters concede the title to United... and this time it really hurts

IAN LADYMAN on a seemingly pivotal day in the title race which brought an air of resignation from the City faithful.

The middle-aged man shuffling out of the Etihad Stadium at 5pm on Saturday perhaps didn't realise the perfect symmetry of his title race analysis.



'I would say United are 6-1 on to win it now,' he said.

Let us pray: Balotelli knows time is running out for City

From 6-1 at Old Trafford in October to 1-6 in April. It has been quite a comedown for Manchester City.

If neighbours Manchester United win at Blackburn on Monday night, they will lead City by five points at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

If they beat QPR on Sunday the gap will be eight.



At City they are watching a dream die.



Later on, in a corridor outside the media room, City manager Roberto Mancini smiles but he looks drawn.



Deep down one senses that he knows his team's race is run.



A season that seemed to promise so much looks as though it will deliver precisely nothing.

Brave face: Mancini knows he faces some tough questions

He knows that in Abu Dhabi his club's owners will ask questions of his tenure. The Italian puts on a brave face.

'I will bet with you that United will draw at Blackburn,' he smiles, removing his tie.

'Don't ask me why I know. I just know they will. This is football.'



An hour or so earlier, Mancini hadn't been smiling, of course. His team's performance in drawing 3-3 at home to Sunderland had been largely lamentable.



The late comeback - two goals in a minute - had lent the afternoon an air of excitement but could not paper over the cracks of his team's fractured challenge.



On the field, Mancini's wilting players argued among themselves.



Missing men: City felt loss of Samir Nasri (left) and Sergio Aguero (right)

Off the field, fingers continue to be pointed at City's medical team for the manner in which they have treated Sergio Aguero's foot.



That issue is not ready to go away. Asked about the absence of Samir Nasri, Mancini mentioned personal reasons.



As he said it, the French winger was tweeting about an injury.

As a player and as a coach, control has always been everything to Mancini.



Right now he does not seem to be in control.

'We will continue to fight,' said Mancini. 'The season is not over.'



It may not be, but it feels as though it is.



At Manchester City the supporters no longer do the 'Poznan' when their team score. As they have found out in recent weeks, trying to win the league is a very serious business.



On Saturday one sensed that reality was starting to bite.

There was no tangible sense of excitement in the South Stand before kick-off.



Win at all costs: Edin Dzeko (right) won a dubious penalty

Preparing to watch their team endeavour to extend a 20-game winning run at home in the league, City's supporters seemed to be waiting for something to go wrong.

Pretty soon it did.



There was derision for Mario Balotelli as he lay prone in the penalty area in the first half.



There was something more hostile when he argued with Aleksandar Kolarov over a free-kick much later on - and it was even claimed he had a physical confrontation with Yaya Toure in the dressing room after the game.

Hostile: Balotelli (left) argues with team mate Aleksandar Kolarov (right)

They sang Edin Dzeko's name when he won a rather dubious-looking penalty but it was a little half-hearted.



Mancini, meanwhile, maintains their support. They grumbled about his team selection on Saturday and they jeered when he took off the spent David Silva with half an hour to go.

But they are not turning their backs on him yet.

'There is talk of Jose Mourinho and some fans would have him here tomorrow,' said lifelong City fan Dave Horwich.

'I would be lying if I said some fans don't want Mancini out.



'But on the whole we are still with him. It doesn't look as though this is going to be our year and that hurts. But I still remember the way we played when we beat Spurs 5-1 at the start of the season. I remember the 6-1 at Old Trafford.



'Would Mourinho give us football like that? I don't think so. There is a general acceptance now that United will win the league. It's not our turn. Again.'

If and when United do win this title - their 20th - it will hurt City supporters gravely.



They have been the butt of their neighbour's jokes for what seems like a lifetime.



Black Cats cross their path: Larsson celebrates Sunderland's opener

To stumble so close to the line this time will only give their rivals more ammunition.



United manager Sir Alex Ferguson may be occasionally dismissive of City's threat - he still refers to Liverpool as his club's bitterest rivals - but when City fans look out at the landscape in Manchester all they see is Old Trafford red.

'Of course it hurts more that it's United,' said Horwich, as he drank in Didsbury's Royal Oak on Saturday.



'Any City fan who says they don't care is not being honest. But I have waited 40 years to see us win the league so I am prepared to wait another year, if that's what it takes.

Late flourish: Balotelli nets City's second but a point was not enough

'Sometimes I still can't believe what has happened to this club over the last three of four years. I saw us play in the Champions League this season. Whoever would have thought that would happen?'



At times like this, football fans need a little perspective.

City almost went bankrupt under the ownership of Thaksin Shinawatra.



That was only four years ago.



Disappointment on the field, though, skews the mind's logic.



As two men in their 20s left the ground on Saturday they chewed over their team's failure.

'Those b******s have ruined my weekend,' said one.

His mate just laughed. 'Your weekend?' he asked. 'They have ruined my bloody life.'

Too little: Balotelli puts a penalty past Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet



