MATT DICKINSON / Times writer

I look back and think, Oh, my God, they were playing QPR, who had the worst away record in the league. The Barton [sending off], on any other day, would have been a pretty massive story itself, because he didn’t just get sent off—he looked like he was going to start a riot. If you’ve read his book, he claims he was far from being frenzied, that he was actually rational and thinking, Ah, well, if I’m going to get sent off, I’ll try and take a few of them with me.

VINCENT KOMPANY / City defender, captain

When [Mackie] scored—usually you don’t recover from this. I remember thinking, Don’t be one of those guys who falls to his knees and starts crying. I wasn’t going to be that guy. If we’d lost the league, my whole world would have crumbled, but I wasn’t going to show it. I was going to show the fighting spirit that next year might be our year.

Dave Thompson/AP

SERGIO (KUN) AGÜERO / City forward

That was the whole season. There had been times when we played well—and there were other times when it looked like the title race might be over. We had worked so hard to get to where we were, and with only a few minutes to go, it looked like our first chance to win the league had gone.

IAN DARKE / ESPN broadcaster

That’s the sort of thing that leaves a mark on your psyche forever. You’d be haunted by that.

John Super/AP

DANNY JACKSON / Pregame host at City’s Etihad Stadium

The ground goes silent. It all felt again like typical City. Typical comedy club City. We’re not going to win the league. And we’re going to lose it in the most humiliating circumstances to our biggest rival.

MATT DICKINSON / Times writer

The City press box is right in the middle of their fans. The front row feels like you’re sitting in the terraces; you’re incredibly alert and aware of the tension. There was a woman who looked to be about eight months pregnant right in front of the press box, and she was clutching her stomach, going, “I can’t bear this anymore.” She wasn’t talking about the pregnancy. As a journalist you’re sort of loving the story, but at the same time you can’t help but think, These poor people.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

HENRY WINTER / Daily Telegraph writer, now with The Times of London

I saw a father leave with his son at 2–1 because the son simply couldn’t handle it. There was a look on the father’s face, like, All the things you pass on to your kids, good principles, maybe a few quid and the furniture, but also you pass along your allegiance to a team. And there was a look on this kid’s face like, My friends at school are supporting United, and Dad’s given me City. This is the worst moment of my life. Dad looked shell-shocked. What have I done? Social services is going to be called for the torture I’ve put him through. I probably should have been concentrating on the game, but I thought, What is that going to do to their relationship for the rest of their lives? There will always be that moment that will pop up in college, in wedding speeches: Oh, thanks, Dad. You gave me the worst moment of my life.

EDIN DŽEKO / City forward, now with Roma

When we conceded to go down 1–2, [City manager Roberto] Mancini put me straight away on the pitch. We had a few chances, but we couldn’t score. Close to the end of 90 minutes, the whole stadium was quiet. It looked like the mind of everyone was somewhere else. I was less and less confident we would win . . . but some part of me was still believing.