Sunderland Mimic Iconic Newcastle Group Snapshot In the Wake of Crucial Local Rivalry Win.

An altered coaching staff and a vastly altered lineup – but the club at Sunderland had a long memory.

Nearly two years ago, after a dominant Newcastle performance at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the rivals commemorated the moment with a group photo on the pitch.

This time, the script were flipped.

Nick Woltemade's own goal proved sufficient to deliver Sunderland a historic win over their rivals in the inaugural Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to mimic Newcastle's celebratory 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 cup defeat, was the only Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in each of the games.

He revealed how he desperately wanted to rectify the loss, stating: “You cannot describe [the feeling]. It was so painful for the players and for the fans. We felt we had disappointed them, so we're ecstatic with this win.”

“It served as motivation. We came in with greater talent in this team, real leaders, we persevered, fought really hard and I thought we merited the win.”

‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’

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

The Black Cats have 26 points in 16 games, their highest total at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2000-01.

They are still unbeaten in the league at the Stadium of Light, which had an incredible 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 without a loss 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 “delighted and satisfied” with the performance.

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

“It's good for the local community, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a huge game, but we have to refocus immediately as we have another hard game in Brighton in one week.”