Forget jingle bells, alarm bells which are ringing round Maine Road this Christmas.

Manchester City are sinking deeper into the relegation mire 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.

The Blues 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.

Giorgi Kinkladze returned to Maine Road for the first time since he left in 1998 to join Ajax and the former Blues hero received a great welcome from the home fans.

Kinkladze had not played for Derby for just over a month and he showed the City fans a few glimpses of the old magic.

City were in dire straits when the Georgian international left and two-and-a-half years on they are in trouble again as they fight for their Premiership lives.

Joe Royle's side badly needed three points against Derby to halt their slide down the table.

City started well and Mart Poom saved well from Alfie Haaland's header inside the first 30 seconds before Paulo Wanchope, back from a knee injury, wasted a great chance to score against his old side.

Kevin Horlock swung in a free-kick to Wanchope, who was unmarked three yards out, but the striker's header was touched on to a post by Poom and behind for a corner.

City went close again from Horlock's corner when Richard Dunne's header ricocheted around the Derby six-yard box before Seth Johnson cleared the ball off the line.

Shaun Wright-Phillips then tried his luck with two shots from outside the area before City began to lose their way.

Derby pushed forward and Ian Bishop, starting in place of the injured Jeff Whitley, blocked an effort from Christie on the back post.

Christie was then presented with a great opening in the 36th minute when he was sent scurrying clear down the left only for the Rams striker to lift the ball over Nicky Weaver and the City goal.

Danny Tiatto started getting forward towards the end of the first half and he crossed to Shaun Goater at the back post from one surge, but the Bermudan international could not keep the ball down.

Horlock gave Christie a belated Christmas present when he put the England Under-21 striker through with a woeful backpass and when his shot was saved by Weaver, Craig Burley blasted high and wide from the rebound.

Wanchope nearly atoned for his early miss when his header from Tiatto's cross was touched behind for a corner by Poom.

Poom denied Wanchope again when he saved his header from Laurent Charvet's cross.

City had an amazing escape just two minutes into the second half.

Kinkladze made a great run down the right before playing in Burton on the right and he shot against the underside of the bar with the ball bouncing on the goalline.

Christie looked odds on to knock home the rebound from only a few feet out, but he somehow managed to graze the top of the bar with his right-footed effort.

Back came City and Goater had two shots in between a Bishop free-kick, which went over Poom's bar.

Johnson then shot over from the free-kick before Chris Riggott headed wide from a great chance.

It certainly was not Christie's day and nine minutes from time he shot at Weaver only for the ball to come off the City goalkeeper's body and spin away from the goal.

City pushed to the bitter end and Wright-Phillips saw a shot deflected wide in stoppage time.

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.

Att: 34,321

Ref: M Riley (Leeds).