Sunderland Mimic Famous Newcastle Group Snapshot In the Wake of Crucial Local Rivalry Victory.

A different manager and a vastly altered lineup – but the club at Sunderland remembered vividly.

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

Now, the situation were turned on their head.

Nick Woltemade's unfortunate deflection proved enough to give Sunderland a memorable win over their rivals in the return of the Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to stage their own version of Newcastle's iconic snapshot at full-time.

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

Defender Dan Ballard, who scored an own goal in that previous encounter, was the only Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in both games.

He disclosed how he desperately wanted to rectify the loss, stating: “It's indescribable. It was so painful for the players and for the fans. We felt we had let them down, so we're delighted with this win.”

“It served as motivation. We came in with more quality in this team, real leaders, we dug deep, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”

‘Rivalry games demand victory, regardless of the performance’

Sitting in seventh Sunderland are experiencing a outstanding 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 undefeated in the league at the Stadium of Light, which boasted an incredible atmosphere for most of Sunday afternoon.

“In local rivalry matches, the result is everything, the performance secondary,” said captain Granit Xhaka. “This team is worthy of more respect – 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 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 “proud and happy” with the outcome.

“It was a derby and we were expected [to win] of our fans,” he continued. “This win is well deserved, we were disciplined and the lads were superb.”

“It's good for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a special game, but we have to refocus immediately as we have another tough challenge in Brighton in one week.”