Sunderland Recreate Notorious Magpies Group Snapshot In the Wake of Crucial Derby 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 a comprehensive Magpies victory at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the rivals commemorated the moment with a full squad photograph on the pitch.
Now, the script were reversed.
Nick Woltemade's mistake proved sufficient to give Sunderland a long-awaited win over their rivals in the return of the Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to stage their own version of Newcastle's iconic snapshot at full-time.
“Always unpredictable, creative, adaptive,” remarked Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who proposed the idea.
Defender Dan Ballard, who was unfortunate to score an own goal in that cup defeat, was the only Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in each of the games.
He revealed how he desperately wanted 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 overjoyed with this win.”
“It prepared us more for today. We came in with more quality in this team, strong personalities, we stuck in there, fought really hard and I thought we merited the win.”
‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’
Seventh-placed Sunderland are experiencing a excellent return to the top flight following promotion via the play-offs last season.
The Black Cats have 26 points on the board in 16 games, their best return at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2000-01.
They are undefeated 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 merits greater recognition – where we are in the league is incredible and we're working really hard.”
Sunderland are also without a loss 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 back in August 2011.
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 continued. “This win is well deserved, we were mature and the lads were outstanding.”
“It's fantastic 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.”
