The Black Cats Mimic Notorious Newcastle Team Photo In the Wake of Pivotal Derby Win.
An altered coaching staff and a largely changed squad – but the club 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 Geordies celebrated with a team picture on the pitch.
On this occasion, the roles were flipped.
Nick Woltemade's mistake proved sufficient to hand Sunderland a long-awaited win over their rivals in the inaugural Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to mimic Newcastle's post-match snapshot at full-time.
“Always unpredictable, creative, adaptive,” remarked Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who came up with the idea.
Defender Dan Ballard, who scored an own goal in that 2024 FA Cup tie, was the sole Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in the two games.
He explained how he was determined to make amends for the loss, stating: “It's indescribable. It was so painful for the players and for the fans. We felt we had disappointed them, so we're overjoyed with this win.”
“It served as motivation. We came in with more quality in this team, strong personalities, we dug deep, fought really hard and I thought we merited the win.”
‘Local clashes are must-wins, by any means necessary’
Occupying seventh spot Sunderland are experiencing a excellent return to the top flight after promotion via the play-offs last season.
The Black Cats have 26 points in 16 games, their best return 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 undefeated 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 “proud and happy” with the performance.
“It was a derby and we were carrying the hopes of our fans,” he stated. “This win is fully merited, we were composed and the lads were incredible.”
“It's fantastic for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a unique game, but we have to refocus immediately as we have another tough challenge in Brighton in one week.”
