Sunderland Mimic Famous Magpies Squad Picture Following ‘Special’ Local Rivalry Triumph.

An altered coaching staff and an almost completely different team – but someone at Sunderland wasn't going to forget.

Almost 24 months prior, after a dominant Newcastle performance at the Stadium of Light in an FA Cup tie, the rivals celebrated with a group photo on the pitch.

Now, the script were flipped.

Nick Woltemade's mistake proved decisive 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 stage their own version of Newcastle's celebratory snapshot at full-time.

“Always unpredictable, creative, adaptive,” smiled Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when asked about who proposed 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 explained how he desperately wanted to rectify the loss, stating: “It's indescribable. It was heartbreaking for the players and for the fans. We felt we had let them down, so we're overjoyed with this win.”

“That experience hardened us. We came in with improved ability in this team, true characters, we stuck in there, fought really hard and I thought we earned 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 26 points on the board in 16 games, their most at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 2000-01.

They are still unbeaten 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 merits greater recognition – 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 all the way back in 2011.

Manager Regis le Bris said he was “proud and happy” with the performance.

“It was a derby and we were under pressure to deliver of our fans,” he continued. “This win is fully merited, we were mature and the lads were superb.”

“It's fantastic for the area, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a huge game, but we have to refocus immediately as we have another difficult test in Brighton in one week.”