The Black Cats Stage Iconic Newcastle Squad Picture In the Wake of ‘Special’ Local Rivalry Victory.
A different manager and a largely changed squad – but someone at Sunderland had a long memory.
Back in 2024, after a comprehensive Magpies victory at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the Geordies marked the occasion with a group photo on the pitch.
This time, the script were flipped.
Nick Woltemade's unfortunate deflection proved enough to deliver Sunderland a memorable 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 pressed about who suggested the gesture.
Defender Dan Ballard, who scored an own goal in that previous encounter, was the sole Sunderland player to be in the starting XI in both games.
He revealed how he was eager 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 ecstatic with this win.”
“It prepared us more for today. We came in with more quality in this team, strong personalities, we dug deep, fought really hard and I thought we earned the win.”
‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’
Seventh-placed Sunderland are having a excellent return to the top flight following promotion via the play-offs last season.
The Black Cats have 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 had 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 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 over a decade ago.
Manager Regis le Bris said he was “delighted and satisfied” with the result.
“It was a derby and we were expected [to win] of our fans,” he stated. “This win is well deserved, we were mature and the lads were superb.”
“It's good for the area, 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.”
