Sunderland Recreate Famous Magpies Team Photo In the Wake of Crucial Local Rivalry Victory.
New leadership and a largely changed squad – but those involved at Sunderland had a long memory.
Nearly two years ago, after Newcastle's thumping 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the Geordies commemorated the moment with a team picture on the pitch.
Now, the situation were turned on their head.
Nick Woltemade's own goal proved enough to deliver Sunderland a memorable win over their rivals in the return of the Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to mimic Newcastle's celebratory snapshot at full-time.
“Forever inventive, resourceful, flexible,” remarked Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when pressed about who proposed the idea.
Defender Dan Ballard, who was unfortunate to score an own goal in that previous encounter, was the only Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in both games.
He explained how he was eager 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 ecstatic with this win.”
“It served as motivation. We came in with more quality in this team, strong personalities, we stuck in there, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”
‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’
Seventh-placed 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 highest total 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 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 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 over a decade ago.
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 continued. “This win is rightfully earned, we were mature and the lads were incredible.”
“It's good for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a unique game, but we have to turn the page as we have another tough challenge in Brighton in one week.”
