Within the next three days, City secured a 2–0 victory over Southend United, extending their unbeaten run in the First Division to 15 consecutive matches.
Thanks to Sunderland's loss to Reading and Derby County's draw against Leicester City, Manchester City climbed back to the top of the table. However, in a surprising turn of events, City suffered their first league defeat of the season in their next fixture—an away match against Grimsby Town.
Before the match, O'Neill and the coaching staff were in a relaxed and confident mood, looking forward to the game.
After all, they had already set a club record with 15 unbeaten matches. Jokingly, they said City would surely go on to reach a 20-game unbeaten streak—or maybe even finish the season undefeated. They were taught a lesson to never underestimate their opponents.
