ALEX FERGUSON scurried out of Eastlands with his head bowed after 10-man Manchester United suffered their third derby-day defeat in four years. The Manchester United boss claimed the atmosphere at City's plush new home is nowhere near as intimidating as Maine Road.

But the noise at the final whistle was deafening as the Citizens were sent into orbit by a richly-deserved victory.

Trevor Sinclair and Darius Vassell took advantage of slack defending to put the hosts into a clear lead at the break. Ruud van Nistelrooy did breathe new life into United's dreams 15 minutes from time, after Cristiano Ronaldo had been sent off for a wild lunge at Andy Cole.

But the arrival of Robbie Fowler from the bench just signalled more misery for Ferguson's side . . . and the man who revels in waving five fingers at United fans to signify the number of Liverpool's European Cup triumphs, finished off their 11-match Premiership unbeaten run in injury-time.

There have been some pretty significant lows in this season for United, notably the Champions League losses to Lille and Benfica . . . but few to rank alongside this debacle.

Beaten 4-1 on this ground two seasons ago and 3-1 on their last visit to Maine Road 12 months previously, Ferguson's side melted into non-existence. All over the field were under-performing red shirts.

Ronaldo displayed all the tricks but precious little end product until the diabolical lunge on Cole which resulted in his dismissal midway through the second half; Van Nistelrooy showed the touch of an elephant in trying to hold the ball up; Rio Ferdinand was brushed off the ball with ridiculous ease by Vassell. And then there is Mikael Silvestre.

The French defender has long since given the impression of a man out of his depth.

At no stage did Silvestre look comfortable in dealing with the combined threat of Cole and Vassell, and it was his blunder which gifted the Blues their second goal. Amid the carnage, it was hardly surprising United new boy Patrice Evra looked ill at ease.

Still, at a cost of £5million, Ferguson might have expected more from the former Monaco man who was comprehensively outplayed by Sinclair and eventually replaced at half-time.

Evra was certainly conspicuous by his absence when Sinclair fired City in front just after the half-hour. It was hardly a goal out of the science manual, just a straightforward matter of desire as Stephen Ireland reacted first to reach the knockdown when Gary Neville half-cleared a Joey Barton cross. Ireland prodded the ball on and Sinclair, unmarked, swivelled on the edge of the six-yard box and smashed the ball into the bottom corner.

United had one chance to equalise when Ronaldo finally found a killer pass and slipped Wayne Rooney through. One of three men . . .

alongside Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar . . . exempt from criticism for their dismal first-half efforts, Rooney galloped into the area but could not beat David James with his low finish.

Within minutes, City had doubled their advantage. Yet again, there was nothing particularly special about the move. But when Sinclair beat Evra in an aerial battle to win James' long punt downfield it was the blue shirts who were on their toes. Cole nudged the ball on, Silvestre missed it, and Vassell finished coolly. It was easy, as the City fans were quick to remind their United counterparts who were squirming in their seats.

Ferguson's decision to introduce Alan Smith at the break seemed a clear admission his midfield was too weak to counter Barton's strong running, and it was probably no coincidence United had improved in the second half until Ronaldo was sent off.

The Portuguese youngster took the sorry walk down the tunnel, accompanied by security guards and the venom of a few thousand voices bellowing in his ear.

Had Rooney or Ronaldo managed to find the target with half-chances not long after the re-start, another famous comeback might have been on the cards. But by the time Van Nistelrooy rifled home his 18th goal of the campaign, there were only 15 minutes left . . . and the visitors were down to 10 men. The miracle recovery never became anything more than highly unlikely, and it was left to Fowler to administer the last rites on any vestige of a United title challenge.

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce saluted his side's strength of character after the win. "We had taken one point out of the previous 12 and to face Manchester United when we were a bit low on confidence and put in a performance like that, I am really pleased for the players, " he commented. "They got everything they deserved today. Our players were the ones who were up for a derby match, up for a real scrap, and we took our chances well. I have always had confidence in our players but, when the chips are down and you're playing a United team on song, it's a case of can your players stand up and say 'you're not rolling me over today'. They did that and they deserve the victory."

Sinclair was equally enthused, saying, "It's an amazing and fantastic feeling.

Results have not been going our way. We've had a bad run over Christmas and today all our frustration has been released and, thankfully, it has come against our arch rivals."