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n Tuesday night at the Etihad Stadium, with seconds of the match against Villarreal remaining, Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League future was hanging by a thread.

Had Sergio Aguero not steered the ball in at the far post, Man. City would have been looking at a return of 2 points from their opening 3 group stage games, and their chances of making the knockout rounds would have all but disappeared.

That goal from Aguero though, in the 4th minute of time added on for stoppages, has given City renewed hope of extending their first ever excursion in Europe’s top club competition.

It’s not difficult to see what it meant to players and fans of the club, while the reaction from manager Roberto Mancini was, quite simply, unprecedented.

Sophisticated, urbane, somewhat phlegmatic at times, Mancini has what some would refer to as a typical Italian shoulder shrug in his arsenal of mannerisms — the ‘these-things-happen-what-are-you-going-to-do?’ type of gesture that seems to cut through any suggestion of existential angst.

On Tuesday night in Manchester, Mancini celebrated like a whirling dervish — punching the air, hugging anything that moved, in a genuine outpouring of passion and emotion that was as endearing as anything we’ve seen from him since he arrived on England’s shores.

An element of relief may well have been one of the ingredients in the recipe for euphoria, but there can be little doubt that Mancini really let himself go, and in so doing, demonstrated to City supporters what his job means to him and the extent to which he is committed to the success of the club.

In these cynical times, whatever your allegiances may be, it was a refreshing sight.

Mancini’s delight must also have been partly due to his in-game decisions being vindicated.

Manchester City didn’t play at all well on the night, and even Mancini admitted afterwards that they had been “lucky” to get the win, but the manager’s decision to take off Adam Johnson before half-time (the England winger was not happy), and introduce Sergio Aguero after the hour mark, proved to be insightful and effective.

Let’s also bear in mind that Mancini’s substitutions in recent history haven’t met with unqualified success — Edin Dzeko throwing ‘a right strop’ when withdrawn against Bayern Munich, and Carlos Tevez refusing to play in the very same game.

Mancini could perhaps have been forgiven for being tentative about making changes on Tuesday night, but he wasn’t, and Manchester City are still in with a great shout of emerging from the Champions League group stage at the first time of asking.

They’re also not too badly placed in terms of the Barclays Premier League title, ahead of their biggest test of the season to date.

Sunday sees what it undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited Manchester derby in many a year, coming as it does with the light blue side ahead of the red in the standings, for the first time since….the statisticians are still working on it, and I’m still scratching my head.

We may well get to see the extent to which the power balance in Manchester has changed, if indeed it has, as well as whether Manchester City are genuine title contenders this season.

It will also be an opportunity to gauge Roberto Mancini’s mind-set, bearing in mind the criticism he has come in for in terms of the occasionally negative tactics he has deployed since arriving at the club.

Manchester City though are top of the table, and while they won’t be the favourites on Sunday at Old Trafford – no side ever is, surely – they have to be in with as good a chance as at any time in the 37 years since Denis Law’s infamous back-heel secured the points for City, and condemned United to relegation.

Stone Roses bass player Mani was once asked if the band would ever get back together. He remarked that it would happen “the day after Manchester City win the European Cup.”  

This week, the Manchester group that split up more than 15 years ago, but which, at its height, was regarded as among the most influential British artists of all time, announced that they are reforming.

While one win against Villarreal doesn’t suggest that Champions League glory is just around the corner for Roberto Mancini’s expensively-assembled outfit, stranger things have been known to happen.

Winning the Barclays Premier League may also not be quite as unlikely or as far-fetched as, say, the Stone Roses getting back together, and on Sunday at the Theatre of Dreams, there’ll be thousands of fans in light blue just desperate to see the ‘mad’ put back in ‘Madchester’.

Catch Andrew Leci on Monday Night Verdict every Monday at 8pm on ESPN and send in your feedback to theverdict@espnstar.com