Sunderland Stage Iconic Magpies Group Snapshot In the Wake of Crucial Derby Victory.

An altered coaching staff and an almost completely different team – but the club at Sunderland had a long memory.

Almost 24 months prior, after Newcastle's thumping 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the rivals marked the occasion with a group photo on the pitch.

Now, the situation were flipped.

Nick Woltemade's unfortunate deflection proved enough to hand Sunderland a long-awaited win over their rivals in the first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to mimic Newcastle's celebratory snapshot at full-time.

“Forever inventive, resourceful, flexible,” remarked Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when questioned about who suggested the gesture.

Defender Dan Ballard, who conceded an own goal in that 2024 FA Cup tie, was the sole Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in the two games.

He revealed how he was determined to make amends for the loss, stating: “Words can't express it. It was heartbreaking for the players and for the fans. We felt we had disappointed them, so we're delighted with this win.”

“It served as motivation. We came in with more quality in this team, true characters, we stuck in there, fought really hard and I thought we earned the win.”

‘Local clashes are must-wins, by any means necessary’

Occupying seventh spot Sunderland are enjoying a superb return to the top flight post 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 undefeated in the league at the Stadium of Light, which boasted an feverish atmosphere for most of Sunday afternoon.

“These games are all about the victory, by hook or by crook,” said captain Granit Xhaka. “This team deserves much more – 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 all the way back in 2011.

Manager Regis le Bris said he was “extremely pleased” with the performance.

“It was a derby and we were carrying the hopes of our fans,” he continued. “This win is rightfully earned, we were mature 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 difficult test in Brighton in one week.”