Sunderland Recreate Notorious Newcastle Group Snapshot In the Wake of ‘Special’ Derby Triumph.
A different manager 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 commemorated the moment with a group photo on the pitch.
On this occasion, the situation were flipped.
Nick Woltemade's unfortunate deflection proved sufficient to hand Sunderland a memorable win over their rivals in the inaugural Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to recreate Newcastle's iconic snapshot at full-time.
“Always unpredictable, creative, adaptive,” remarked Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when questioned about who suggested the gesture.
Defender Dan Ballard, who conceded an own goal in that previous encounter, was the only Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in both games.
He disclosed how he was determined to make amends for the loss, stating: “It's indescribable. It was agonizing for the players and for the fans. We felt we had failed them, so we're delighted with this win.”
“It prepared us more for today. We came in with more quality in this team, true characters, we stuck in there, fought really hard and I thought we earned the win.”
‘Local clashes are must-wins, by any means necessary’
Occupying seventh spot Sunderland are experiencing a outstanding return to the top flight post promotion via the play-offs last season.
The Black Cats have a tally of 26 points in 16 games, their highest total at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2000-01.
They are yet to lose 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 incredible and we're working really hard.”
Sunderland are also unbeaten 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 back in August 2011.
Manager Regis le Bris said he was “extremely pleased” with the result.
“It was a derby and we were under pressure to deliver of our fans,” he continued. “This win is fully merited, we were mature and the lads were incredible.”
“It's positive for the local community, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a unique game, but we have to reset quickly as we have another hard game in Brighton in one week.”
