1 week ago
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Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle
©IMAGO
Nick Woltemade has already shown Newcastle United fans just how good he is at putting the ball in the net. Unfortunately for the club's record signing, his latest exhibition involved directing into his own in his first Tyne-Wear derby. Just 59 seconds after the half-time interval, the €75 million signing from Stuttgart suffered the ignominy of diverting an innocuous cross past his own goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, sending the Sunderland fans wild. After enjoying his first 12 games with five goals, this was one moment he'd like to forget in a hurry.
Fans deprived of a hostile rivalry
Both sets of fans had been waiting nine and a half year long years for this moment: the first Tyne-Wear derby in the Premier League since March 2016. It's a fixture steeped in history, with boiling tempers, flying tackles and dramatic late goals to take all the points and bragging rights. Not much had changed in the way of atmosphere inside the Stadium of Light, with over 50,000 fans roaring on their respective teams with deafening chants that could do serious damage to their vocal chords.
Action fails to match the atmosphere
The first half didn't deliver the action everyone wanted. Newcastle ended the first half without registering a single shot, while Sunderland failed to hit the target with any of their three attempts. That said more about the visitors than it did the hosts; Eddie Howe's team have played more cautiously this season and perhaps it explains their dwindling attacking numbers. Régis Le Bris' side have also been tough to beat, and it's fair to say that not many would expected the side promoted from the Championship last season to be ranking higher in the Premier League standings out of the two.
Perhaps it was apt that the opening goal would come from a striker heading into his own net, given how rarely either side had troubled. But Sunderland pressed forward with more attacking intent as they searched for a second goal to kill the game. Woltemade was then brought off to loud cheers from the home side, capping a day to forget for the 23-year-old. It will only fuel him more in the future to come and make them regret taunting him, but for today, the Tyne-Wear bragging rights belong to the Black Cats.
The last meeting
The rivals last met in the Premier League back in March, 2016 - the match finished a 1-1 draw at St James' Park. Plenty has happened since then, with Sunderland enduring a journey all the way down to League One and back in the last nine years, whilst Newcastle have marched up to the Champions League places after their takeover by the extremely wealthy Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. Let's take a look back at the XIs when they met all those years ago. Just one player from either team remains at that club today.
The XIs in the last Premier League Tyne-Wear derby
For Newcastle, in between the sticks was Irish keeper Rob Elliot, who had a market value of just €1.5 million at the time. The Magpies back four consisted of the 'Ginger Pirlo' Jack Colback (€7.5m) at left-back and Dutchman Daryl Janmaat (€7.5m) at right-back. The centre-half pairing pits Chancel Mbemba (€10m) alongside Jamaal Lascelles (€3m), who still remains a Newcastle player nine years on. In centre-midfield Jonjo Shelvey (€12m) was joined by Georginio Wijnaldum (€20m), who was the most valuable player in either of the XIs.
On the left-wing for the Toon was Frenchman Moussa Sissoko (€15m) with Englishman Andros Townsend (€9m) on the opposite flank. Newcastle went with two strikers that day, with Spaniard Ayoze Pérez (€8m) playing off of Serbian striker Alexander Mitrović (€14m). The entire Newcastle XI that day boasted a combined market value of €107.5m. For Sunderland, it was Italian Vito Mannone (€2.5m) in goal. The Black Cats had Dutchman Patrick van Aanholt (€4.5m) at left-back and American DeAndre Yedlin (€1.5m) at right-back. At centre-back for Sunderland was Frenchman Younès Kaboul (€3m) and Ivorian Laminé Kone (€5m).
Sunderland fielded a midfield three of German Jan Kirchhoff (€1.5m), Frenchman Yann M'Vila (€7m), and Englishman Jack Rodwell (€8m). Fabio Borini (€6m) took the right-wing birth, with Wahbi Khazri (€8m) on the left. Premier League legend Jermain Defoe (€6m) led the line for the Black Cats. Sunderland's XI boasted a combined market value of €53m, but not a single player remains at the club today.
