Sunderland Stage Iconic Magpies Team Photo In the Wake of Crucial Local Rivalry Victory.
An altered coaching staff and a vastly altered lineup – but someone at Sunderland wasn't going to forget.
Nearly two years ago, after a dominant Newcastle performance at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the visitors commemorated the moment with a group photo on the pitch.
On this occasion, the script were flipped.
Nick Woltemade's mistake proved enough to give Sunderland a memorable win over their rivals in the inaugural Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to stage their own version of Newcastle's post-match snapshot at full-time.
“Always unpredictable, creative, adaptive,” said with a grin Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who came up with the idea.
Defender Dan Ballard, who conceded an own goal in that cup defeat, was the sole Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in both games.
He explained how he desperately wanted to rectify the loss, stating: “You cannot describe [the feeling]. 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 served as motivation. We came in with more quality in this team, real leaders, we persevered, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”
‘Local clashes are must-wins, by any means necessary’
Occupying seventh spot Sunderland are having a superb 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 electric atmosphere for most of Sunday afternoon.
“In local rivalry matches, the result is everything, the performance secondary,” said captain Granit Xhaka. “This team merits greater recognition – 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 most extended period 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 expected [to win] of our fans,” he stated. “This win is fully merited, we were composed and the lads were superb.”
“It's good for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a special game, but we have to reset quickly as we have another hard game in Brighton in one week.”
