The Black Cats Mimic Notorious Newcastle Squad Picture In the Wake of Crucial Derby Victory.

New leadership and a vastly altered lineup – 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 visitors marked the occasion with a team picture on the pitch.

On this occasion, the roles were flipped.

Nick Woltemade's mistake proved enough to deliver Sunderland a historic win over their rivals in the inaugural Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to recreate Newcastle's celebratory snapshot at full-time.

“Always unpredictable, creative, adaptive,” remarked Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when questioned about who came up with the gesture.

Defender Dan Ballard, who was unfortunate to score an own goal in that previous encounter, was the sole Sunderland player to start in both games.

He explained how he was eager to avenge 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 ecstatic with this win.”

“That experience hardened us. We came in with more quality in this team, strong personalities, we dug deep, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”

‘Derbies you have to win, it does not matter how’

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

The Black Cats have 26 points on the board in 16 games, their most 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 incredible atmosphere for most of Sunday afternoon.

“Derbies, you have to win, it does not matter how,” said captain Granit Xhaka. “This team deserves much more – where we are in the league is incredible and we're working really hard.”

Sunderland are also unbeaten in their last 10 league games against Newcastle, their most extended period 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 performance.

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

“It's positive for the region, 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.”