The significant British influence in what was, until 1911, the nation's capital, ensured the game flourished, drawing players from other regions, and it is against this backdrop in which today's rivalry took root.

Mohun Bagan would win the following replayed match on 10 August 1921 by defeating East Bengal 3–0, courtesy to the goals from Rabi Ganguly, Poltu Dasgupta and Abhilash Ghosh.

The first official match between the sides was played on 28 May 1925 in CFL, where East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 1–0 with the help of a solitary goal from Nepal Chakraborty.

A few notable victories include the Darbhanga Shield match on 5 September 1934, when Mohun Bagan won 4–1 (Amiya Deb scored all four goals).

Another memorable instance where they scored four goals against was in Raja Memorial Shield final played on 6 August 1937 at the common ground of both the clubs (Eden Gardens Stadium), where Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 4–0 and Asit Ganguly scored three goals in that match.

Having already won the league, Mohun Bagan then did the double, defeating their rivals on their own ground in the IFA Shield final.

[a] In fact, they lost only one derby (that too outside Kolkata) in six years (1970 to 1975) which culminated in a 5–0 IFA Shield win over their great rivals.

Such was the ignominy surrounding the heavy defeat that several Mohun Bagan players spent the night holed up on a boat in the Ganges trying to escape the wrath of shell-shocked supporters.

The most memorable derby on many accounts took place in 1997 at the semi-final of the Federation Cup, when a remarkable crowd of 1,31,781[29] – a record attendance for any sport in India – filled a heaving Salt Lake Stadium.

India's most recognizable footballer, Baichung Bhutia, took centre stage, scoring a hat-trick as East Bengal triumphed 4–1.

South Korean forward Do Dong-hyun scored a free-kick brace while Mohammed Rafique and Rahul Bheke scored the other two as the Red and Gold brigade matched their own record which they set back on 23 May 1936, when they defeated the Green and Maroons by the similar 4–0 scoreline with goals from Laxminarayan, K. Prasad, Murgesh and Majid.