Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle
by Roger Domeneghetti
at the Stadium of Light

CHRISTMAS came early for Sunderland fans, courtesy of a gift of an own goal from Nick Woltemade, the German heading into his own net early in the second half.

The last time the clubs met, nearly two years ago, Newcastle ran out easy 3-0 winners at the Stadium of Light in the FA Cup.

Few then, would have thought Newcastle would be slight underdogs on their next visit to their rivals.

Regis Le Bris is in charge of Sunderland now. His team, especially this Premier League iteration is a very different prospect. Their home form, coupled with Newcastle’s brittleness on the road meant this was the case.

Thus, it was little surprise that Sunderland controlled the game, dominating possession, dictating the tempo. In the first half, however, they were unable to find the incisive final ball to punish Newcastle.

The visitors offered even less. Eddie Howe’s team were listless; their midweek European exertions taking their toll.

That said, both sides were up for the physical contest. Referee Peter Bankes was happy to let the game bubble under, with the first booking not coming until the 26th minute.

Briefly, just before the break, the Black Cats came close to losing their discipline. It was the best spell for Newcastle. Yet, there were few chances from either side.

The breakthrough came a minute into the second half. Having seen his long throw cleared, Nordi Mukiele swung a teasing cross into the middle. Woltemade, with no Sunderland player near him, panicked and headed beyond Aaron Ramsdale onto the bar and in. It would have been a great attacking header, instead it was a calamitous error.

For a brief period, it looked like Newcastle might be overwhelmed, but they weathered the storm, just. No-one on Wearside cared, as they celebrated a famous victory.