Sunderland Mimic Famous Newcastle Squad Picture In the Wake of Pivotal Derby Victory.

New leadership and an almost completely different team – but the club 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 visitors marked the occasion with a team picture on the pitch.

On this occasion, the situation were flipped.

Nick Woltemade's unfortunate deflection proved sufficient to deliver Sunderland a long-awaited win over their rivals in the first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 – prompting the hosts to mimic Newcastle's post-match snapshot at full-time.

“Consistently original, imaginative, versatile,” smiled Black Cats manager Regis le Bris when pressed about who came up with the photograph.

Defender Dan Ballard, who was unfortunate to score an own goal in that cup defeat, was the sole Sunderland player to feature from the beginning in both games.

He explained how he was determined 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 failed them, so we're delighted with this win.”

“It served as motivation. We came in with more quality in this team, strong personalities, we stuck in there, fought really hard and I thought we deserved the win.”

‘Local clashes are must-wins, by any means necessary’

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

The Black Cats have 26 points on the board in 16 games, their best return 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 incredible 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 over a decade ago.

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 stated. “This win is well deserved, we were mature and the lads were outstanding.”

“It's positive for the region, the club, the fans. We knew before it was a huge game, but we have to reset quickly as we have another tough challenge in Brighton in one week.”