Five games in and it is only alphabetical order separating the two Manchester clubs, City and United, at the top of the Premier League title.
The much-anticipated showdown between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho appears to have dawned at long last. After five assignments, the record is identical: four wins, one draw, sixteen goals scored, two conceded.
It is early days, of course, and Chelsea are within one victory of the two Manchester clubs while Tottenham also lie in wait but there is an unmistakable sense that the major players in the title race this season will come from the North West.
The squads
Both sides are now blessed with a staggering depth of quality in attacking positions. The creative forces such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Kevin De Bruyne are glistening early on, while Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Aguero are punishing opponents in brutal fashion.
Guardiola was able to introduce Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan from the bench at Watford while Anthony Martial, Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard influenced the flow of the game for Mourinho as United ran riot late on at Old Trafford.
The two teams take their opponents apart in different manners. City want complete dominance and on the days it all comes together, it is truly magnificent – perhaps the highest level of football we have seen in this league since Arsenal's Invincibles.
United, meanwhile, are more pragmatic. They are prepared to bide their time before pulling away late on, as they have done against West Ham, Swansea, Leicester and again on Sunday against Everton.
The remaining question mark about City is whether their defence will hold out and if Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones can forge a strong partnership.
Vincent Kompany, sadly, is back on the treatment table. Over the past week, which has seen City score 15 and concede 0 in three games against Liverpool, Feyenoord and Watford, the pair have been strong, allowing City's opponents a total of five shots on target.