Alarm bells are ringing round Maine Road after they failed to win this basement battle. The draw against Derby means City have taken a paltry five points from their last 10 matches and have managed just one victory in that time.

City are teetering one place above the relegation zone by goal difference from Coventry. Although it is hard to imagine, it could easily have been even worse for City and Malcolm Christie produced a miss which brought a new meaning to the word glaring.

Christie, who wasted a number of openings, grazed the top of the bar from just a few feet out with the goal at his mercy after Deon Burton's shot had hit the underside of the bar and bounced on the line. Derby manager Jim Smith's annoyance at that miss will have been tempered by the collection of another point which continues his side's recent renaissance.

City manager Joe Royle was taking some comfort from the result. "After six defeats in a row, it's one defeat in four now. It's a confidence thing and had we got that early goal then everybody would have grown. At times I feel we have been a lot better than strugglers and at other times I have seen a nervousness. It's a mental thing which will get us there and we've got to work on that."

Man City: Weaver, Dunne, Tiatto, Howey, Charvet, Wright-Phillips, Haaland, Bishop, Horlock (Wiekens 57), Wanchope, Goater. Subs Not Used: Dickov, Prior, Granville, Wright. Booked: Wiekens, Tiatto.

Derby: Poom, Riggott, Carbonari, West, Delap, Johnson, Burley, Powell (Higginbotham 57), Kinkladze (Martin 78), Christie, Burton. Subs Not Used: Morris, Mawene, Oakes. Booked: Delap, Carbonari.

Referee: M Riley (Leeds).