City through, United out - There's a new top dog in Manchester

Is this the night City surpassed United as the top club in Manchester? Some may argue that has been the case for some time now. Some, perhaps those few at Old Trafford who are still happy with Louis van Gaal's management, may argue it will never be possible given the Reds' trophy haul. But the prevailing feeling, after this topsy turvy night for British football, is that City are the major players now.

While City are by no means the finished article, you can't help but feel that, with top spot in their Champions League group assured, they are the club heading in the right direction.

As United reflect on their dramatic and premature exit from Europe's top club competition, as the fans vent their fury at this latest set-back, as the army of former players line up to criticise Van Gaal's philosophy, City can look forward to the draw for the last-16 in a better position than they ever have been after six group games.

They were far from perfect on the night, but the Gods smiled on City and, with 10 minutes left, they rallied from a losing position at 2-1 down to score three times in four minutes. More importantly, Sevilla took the lead against Juventus - Fernando Llorente, would you believe, scoring against his former club - and would hold on for a victory that put the Spanish side in the Europa League and City, implausibly, top. This was almost unprecedented luck; very untypical City.

That was the kind of thing that would happen to United once upon a time, a club that so often made their own luck. But Van Gaal's side bottomed out; having taken the lead, they quickly conceded and then fell behind. Jesse Lingard thought he had scored, and celebrated as such, only to be denied by the linesman's flag because a team-mate had blocked the goalkeeper's line of sight. Even then, as the reds toiled, CSKA Moscow took the lead against PSV, also reduced to 10 men, meaning United would qualify even with a defeat. But oh how it all unravelled.

The Dutch side themselves rallied, levelling the score at the Philips Stadion, only for United to do likewise. But once again luck deserted Van Gaal; Wolfsburg went 3-2 up and, as if to spell out the fact that it was not United's night in 10-feet high letters, PSV took the lead. United were dead and buried long before the final whistle was blown.

Just days after the club made it clear that not only are they firmly behind Van Gaal's regime but that they have no interest in bringing in Pep Guardiola, United must now ride out the storm as fans and former players call for a change.

Guardiola, it seems, is destined for the Etihad. It would be unfair, if nothing else, to point that out on a night when Manuel Pellegrini got the job done and showed such delight in doing so. So often as reserved on the touchline as he is in his media briefings, he roared with delight when City went ahead through Raheem Sterling's second goal, the Chilean leading the celebrations on the touchline.

But still, this is a situation which will only become more intense as the season goes on. Guardiola's Bayern Munich future will be resolved before Christmas.

City and United may both be level on points in the Premier League table, both clubs wrestling with their own issues, but their prospects appear a world apart.

Some Blues fans may be as unhappy with their manager as an increasing number of Reds are with Van Gaal, but if the noises coming out of Old Trafford are anything to go by, the biggest and best coach in world football is destined for east Manchester.

Off the pitch, too, it's clear City are the ones making waves. The state of the two clubs' academies is best illustrated by the fact that several former United men have sent their sons to City's youth set-up for their footballing education, while City's $400m deal with a Chinese consortium gives them a genuine chance of rivalling United's sway in the important Asian markets.

If the feeling is that United became complacent in their youth recruitment, it could be said that City's plan to invest in a state-backed $800bn plan to put Chinese football on the map will win the day over commercial partnerships with potato chip manufacturers in Malaysia.

City are the club - through their sister clubs around the world, their youth teams, their women's team, their infrastructure and their business deals - with the long-term plan. Even if the men's senior team are usually the ones letting the side down, nobody could argue that the future does not look bright for the Blues.

Similarly, few would argue that United's future is too rosy. There may well be money to spend on superstars - the Adidas shirt deal is eye-watering, and is boosted by the television kitty - but much has already been spent cleaning up the mess left behind by David Moyes, with little sign that it's been anywhere near enough.

City may not have had the most convincing of Champions League campaigns, and there are plenty of question marks over both the manager and the recent recruitment strategy, but they have topped the so-called group of death and can now aim to establish themselves as one of Europe's major players.

United, for all the money spent and behind-the-scenes faith in the current manager's philosophy, can only look on in envy.