Nick Woltemade’s second-half own goal proved decisive as Sunderland claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Newcastle United in a fiery Tyne–Wear derby at the Stadium of Light, extending their unbeaten Premier League run against their rivals to 10 matches, Softfootball reports.
Coming off a bruising 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend, Sunderland showed real intent from the opening exchanges in the first top-flight Tyne–Wear derby since 2015. The hosts pressed aggressively and looked the sharper side early on, but clear chances were few and far between in a first half dominated more by crunching tackles than goalmouth action.
The atmosphere crackled throughout, and the physical nature of the contest was underlined when a late challenge from Nordi Mukiele forced Dan Burn to leave the pitch with an injury. Granit Xhaka briefly lifted the crowd just before the half-hour mark with a long-range effort, but his shot sailed harmlessly over the bar, summing up a scrappy opening period where quality was in short supply at both ends.
Both Régis Le Bris and Eddie Howe had plenty to ponder at the break, but it was Newcastle who were dealt an immediate blow after the restart. Just a minute into the second half, Woltemade misjudged his attempted defensive header while trying to deal with Mukiele’s whipped cross, sending the ball looping beyond Aaron Ramsdale and in off the underside of the crossbar to spark wild celebrations around the Stadium of Light.
Fresh from a 2-2 draw in the UEFA Champions League during midweek, Newcastle went in search of a response, with Howe turning to his bench for inspiration. Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock were all introduced as the Magpies tried to wrestle back control of the game.
The visitors did improve after the changes, with Bruno Guimarães twice testing Robin Roefs from distance, while Sunderland remained a threat on the counter. Wilson Isidor came close to sealing the contest when his sharp effort at the near post forced Ramsdale into a solid save.
After the game, Sunderland via its official X handle, shared an exclusive photo of the players and coaching staff Together as they celebrate their first Tyne- Wear derby win They posted:
In the end, Sunderland didn’t need a second goal. They showed composure and resilience in a tense, fiery finale to see out a memorable derby victory. The result lifts the Black Cats up to seventh in the table, now sitting four points clear of their 12th-placed rivals, while Newcastle were left to rue a costly mistake in a game that meant far more than just three points.
