The Black Cats Stage Famous Newcastle Group Snapshot Following Crucial Derby Win.

New leadership and an almost completely different team – but the club at Sunderland had a long memory.

Back in 2024, after Newcastle's thumping 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the Geordies marked the occasion with a team picture on the pitch.

Now, the roles were reversed.

Nick Woltemade's mistake proved sufficient to hand Sunderland a memorable 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.

“Consistently original, imaginative, versatile,” smiled Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when questioned about who suggested the idea.

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 make amends for the loss, stating: “You cannot describe [the feeling]. It was agonizing for the players and for the fans. We felt we had let them down, so we're delighted with this win.”

“It prepared us more for today. We came in with greater talent in this team, real leaders, we persevered, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”

‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’

Seventh-placed Sunderland are experiencing a superb return to the top flight post promotion via the play-offs last season.

The Black Cats have a tally of 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 deserves much more – where we are in the league is amazing 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 “extremely pleased” with the result.

“It was a derby and we were expected [to win] of our fans,” he added. “This win is well deserved, we were disciplined and the lads were superb.”

“It's positive for the area, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a special game, but we have to reset quickly as we have another difficult test in Brighton in one week.”