NEW YORK — What was supposed to be an intense and tight affair turned out to be a FIFA 16-like rout. And a historic one at that.

The New York Red Bulls got the 2016 edition of the Hudson River Derby started in one of the most unimaginable ways possible on Saturday, as they went into Yankee Stadium and annihilated New York City FC to the tune of 7-0.

No, that is not a typo. Yes, somewhere former Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke was probably smiling.

From the early going, the Red Bulls were the dominant side. It took them just three minutes to take the lead, through a Dax McCarty header on a set piece, and they never looked back. Jesse Marsch’s side held NYCFC largely in check in the first half, and found second and third goals just before halftime via a nodded effort and impressive overhead kick from Bradley Wright-Phillips.

The goals continued to pour in after the intermission, as seemingly everyone on the Red Bulls wanted to get on the scoresheet while almost everyone on NYCFC was outclassed and humiliated.

“Incredible performance,” said Red Bulls head coach Marsch. “A bunch of guys on the field that wanted to express how much they wanted it. It’s been a tough start to the season for us, there’s no doubt, but I felt like in all ways we wanted to go out and make sure that this was going to be a performance, whether we won or lost, that we could hang our hat on.”

The Red Bulls did more than that. They not only continued to win bragging rights in the Big Apple by moving to 4-0 in the series all-time, but tied the record for the most-lopsided victory in MLS history.

This was a battering in every sense, and it was especially evident in the second half as NYCFC looked apathetic when defending the Red Bulls. Several of Patrick Vieira’s men failed to track their marks during the run of play and on more set pieces, allowing McCarty, Alex Muyl, Gonzalo Veron and Gideon Baah to get on the scoresheet and add to the epic embarrassment.

“This means everything to us,” said McCarty. “These big games, you can’t take them for granted, because you don’t know how many times you’re going to be on the right side of the result. I’d certainly would rather be in our locker room right now than their locker room. We’ll enjoy this because we earned it.”

Set pieces were a key ingredient to the Red Bulls’ success. McCarty’s opener came off a corner kick from the right, and so did his second in the 51st minute. Veron’s back-post header with seven minutes left in the match came via a free kick that was almost as far as a corner, and Baah’s scrambled finish at the door step a minute from time was also a direct result of a dead-ball situation from the flag.

Poor marking and lack of concentration and fight from NYCFC’s players certainly played a part in the Red Bulls’ production on set pieces, but so too did the visitors’ adjustment to what they saw on the field. The Red Bulls had trained during the week to go short on corner kicks, but changed the strategy mid-game after seeing how well regular deliveries were working.

“After the first one, we had a couple of times where I actually set up for a short play, but it looked like the other team had read it a little bit and then I changed my mind,” said Red Bulls corner-kick taker Sacha Kljestan. “Then at halftime Dax says, ‘Look, we’ve been doing so good on corners, just keep putting good balls in and we’re going to score more.’ We got three more in the second half. It’s crazy.”

What also helped the Red Bulls enjoy a historic performance was the size of the oft-criticized small field at Yankee Stadium. It allowed Marsch’s squad to use its trademark high press more effectively since there was less space to cover, and frustrated New York City FC was never able to find a solution.

“We mapped out on our training fields the size of this field here,” said Marsch. “It’s incredible how small it feels, and you have to adapt. I know with the way that we run and the speed at which we play and the way that we press, we’re always excited to come here because we feel like it’s a chance to still do the things that we do in an effective way.”

Added Wright-Phillips: “Red Bull Arena is a big field, and sometimes it’s tough to cover ground, but here it’s nice and tight. We can get around the pitch, and the way we play, the style of play we play, it kind of benefits us.”

The Red Bulls’ locker room was buzzing with excitement in the aftermath of the historic result. The club knew that this was just one match in a 34-game regular season and likely a one-off in this derby, but what a performance it was.

They posted a lopsided win against their cross-town rival. In the opposition’s house. With Red Bulls fans singing and chanting loudly all the way through.

It does not get much better than this. In fact, it might never.

“Right now, I think that New York is red,” said Marsch with a smile.