The Black Cats Stage Iconic Newcastle Group Snapshot In the Wake of Pivotal Local Rivalry Victory.
An altered coaching staff and a largely changed squad – but the club at Sunderland wasn't going to forget.
Almost 24 months prior, after Newcastle's thumping 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the Geordies marked the occasion with a team picture on the pitch.
This time, the script were flipped.
Nick Woltemade's mistake proved sufficient to deliver Sunderland a historic win over their rivals in the first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to mimic Newcastle's post-match snapshot at full-time.
“Consistently original, imaginative, versatile,” smiled Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when pressed about who proposed the idea.
Defender Dan Ballard, who scored an own goal in that previous encounter, was the only Sunderland player to be in the starting XI in the two games.
He disclosed how he desperately wanted to rectify the loss, stating: “You cannot describe [the feeling]. It was agonizing 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 improved ability in this team, strong personalities, we stuck in there, fought really hard and I thought we merited the win.”
‘Local clashes are must-wins, by any means necessary’
Occupying seventh spot Sunderland are experiencing a excellent return to the top flight post promotion via the play-offs last season.
The Black Cats have 26 points on the board in 16 games, their most at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2000-01.
They are still unbeaten in the league at the Stadium of Light, which boasted an incredible atmosphere for most of Sunday afternoon.
“In local rivalry matches, the result is everything, the performance secondary,” said captain Granit Xhaka. “This team deserves much more – where we are in the league is remarkable and we're working really hard.”
Sunderland are also undefeated in their last 10 league games against Newcastle, their longest such run 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 “extremely pleased” with the outcome.
“It was a derby and we were under pressure to deliver of our fans,” he continued. “This win is well deserved, we were mature and the lads were incredible.”
“It's good for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a huge game, but we have to reset quickly as we have another tough challenge in Brighton in one week.”
