The Black Cats Recreate Famous Newcastle Group Snapshot Following Pivotal Derby Victory.

A different manager and a largely changed squad – but someone at Sunderland had a long memory.

Nearly two years ago, after Newcastle's thumping 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the rivals marked the occasion with a team picture on the pitch.

Now, the situation were flipped.

Nick Woltemade's own goal proved enough to hand Sunderland a memorable win over their rivals in the return of the Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to mimic Newcastle's post-match snapshot at full-time.

“Always unpredictable, creative, adaptive,” smiled Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who suggested the idea.

Defender Dan Ballard, who was unfortunate to score an own goal in that previous encounter, was the sole Sunderland player to be in the starting XI in each of the games.

He revealed how he was determined to make amends for the loss, stating: “It's indescribable. It was heartbreaking for the players and for the fans. We felt we had disappointed them, so we're delighted with this win.”

“It prepared us more for today. We came in with improved ability 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’

Occupying seventh spot Sunderland are experiencing a excellent return to the top flight following 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 yet to lose in the league at the Stadium of Light, which had an feverish 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 remarkable 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 back in August 2011.

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

“It was a derby and we were carrying the hopes of our fans,” he added. “This win is fully merited, we were composed and the lads were superb.”

“It's fantastic for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a special game, but we have to turn the page as we have another hard game in Brighton in one week.”