Sunderland Stage Famous Newcastle Squad Picture In the Wake of Crucial Local Rivalry Victory.
A different manager and a vastly altered lineup – but someone at Sunderland had a long memory.
Nearly two years ago, after a dominant Newcastle performance at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the rivals celebrated with a group photo on the pitch.
This time, the roles were flipped.
Nick Woltemade's own goal proved sufficient to hand Sunderland a historic win over their rivals in the return of the Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to recreate Newcastle's celebratory snapshot at full-time.
“Consistently original, imaginative, versatile,” smiled Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who proposed the idea.
Defender Dan Ballard, who was unfortunate to score an own goal in that 2024 FA Cup tie, was the sole Sunderland player to start in each of the games.
He revealed how he was eager to make amends for the loss, stating: “It's indescribable. It was heartbreaking for the players and for the fans. We felt we had let them down, so we're ecstatic with this win.”
“It prepared us more for today. We came in with more quality in this team, true characters, we persevered, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”
‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’
Sitting in seventh Sunderland are having a excellent return to the top flight following promotion via the play-offs last season.
The Black Cats have 26 points on the board in 16 games, their best return at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2000-01.
They are still unbeaten in the league at the Stadium of Light, which was filled with an electric atmosphere for most of Sunday afternoon.
“These games are all about the victory, by hook or by crook,” said captain Granit Xhaka. “This team is worthy of more respect – where we are in the league is amazing and we're working really hard.”
Sunderland are also without a loss in their last 10 league games against Newcastle, their best-ever streak without defeat against the Magpies.
Newcastle's last league win over Sunderland was all the way back in 2011.
Manager Regis le Bris said he was “proud and happy” with the performance.
“It was a derby and we were under pressure to deliver of our fans,” he added. “This win is rightfully earned, we were composed and the lads were incredible.”
“It's fantastic for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a unique game, but we have to refocus immediately as we have another tough challenge in Brighton in one week.”
