Sunderland Mimic Famous Newcastle Team Photo In the Wake of ‘Special’ Derby Victory.
New leadership and a vastly altered lineup – but someone at Sunderland had a long memory.
Almost 24 months prior, after a dominant Newcastle performance at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the Geordies marked the occasion with a full squad photograph on the pitch.
On this occasion, the roles were flipped.
Nick Woltemade's unfortunate deflection proved decisive to hand Sunderland a long-awaited win over their rivals in the first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to recreate Newcastle's post-match snapshot at full-time.
“Forever inventive, resourceful, flexible,” remarked Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who came up with the gesture.
Defender Dan Ballard, who scored an own goal in that cup defeat, was the only Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in each of the games.
He revealed how he was determined to rectify 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 overjoyed with this win.”
“It prepared us more for today. We came in with improved ability in this team, true characters, we dug deep, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”
‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’
Sitting in seventh Sunderland are experiencing a excellent return to the top flight post promotion via the play-offs last season.
The Black Cats have 26 points 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 is worthy of more respect – where we are in the league is remarkable 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 “delighted and satisfied” with the result.
“It was a derby and we were carrying the hopes of our fans,” he added. “This win is well deserved, we were composed and the lads were outstanding.”
“It's positive for the local community, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a special game, but we have to refocus immediately as we have another tough challenge in Brighton in one week.”
