Sunderland Mimic Notorious Newcastle Squad Picture In the Wake of Pivotal Local Rivalry Victory.
An altered coaching staff and an almost completely different team – but those involved at Sunderland wasn't going to forget.
Nearly two years ago, after Newcastle's thumping 3-0 win 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 turned on their head.
Nick Woltemade's unfortunate deflection proved decisive to deliver Sunderland a long-awaited win over their rivals in the inaugural Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to recreate Newcastle's post-match snapshot at full-time.
“Consistently original, imaginative, versatile,” said with a grin Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who came up with the photograph.
Defender Dan Ballard, who scored an own goal in that previous encounter, was the sole Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in both games.
He revealed how he desperately wanted to avenge the loss, stating: “Words can't express it. It was so painful for the players and for the fans. We felt we had disappointed them, so we're ecstatic with this win.”
“It prepared us more for today. We came in with more quality in this team, real leaders, we persevered, fought really hard and I thought we merited the win.”
‘Local clashes are must-wins, by any means necessary’
Sitting in seventh 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 yet to lose in the league at the Stadium of Light, which was filled with 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 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 over a decade ago.
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 added. “This win is well deserved, we were composed and the lads were superb.”
“It's positive for the local community, 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.”
