Sunderland threw out the red carpet for Newcastle United, much to the delight of Toon hero Alan Shearer.
Eddie Howe’s team won the Tyne-Wear derby on Saturday, beating their biggest rivals and advancing to the FA Cup fourth round.
Despite all of the discussion about Howe being under pressure as Newcastle manager, the win was very routine.
His team reacted to the occasion and put on a show, with many players in black and white dazzling in their Derby debuts. Alexander Isak was fantastic, and Bruno Guimaraes dominated midfield.
The Magpies shined in front of 6,000 Geordies, who occupied an entire stand inside the Stadium Of Light.
That had caused some controversy in the lead-up to the game, with Sunderland fans upset over how many tickets Newcastle had been allocated, resulting in some Wearsiders being unable to sit in their normal seats.
Sunderland fans grew further angry when it was revealed in the run-up to the game that a pub inside the Stadium Of Light had been redecorated with Newcastle artwork, replacing the traditional Sunderland banners.
The Black Cats made a huge PR gaffe, which resulted in a statement apologising to their supporters.
Alan Shearer can’t believe Sunderland let Newcastle redecorate their bar
It was amusing from a Toon standpoint, and Alan Shearer agrees. On the most recent episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, he discussed the events leading up to the Derby.
“Sunderland did that themselves!,” he blurted out.
“When I saw those photographs, I assumed some of the Geordies had broken into the Stadium of Light and decorated the room that would be theirs. But Sunderland Football Club accomplished it themselves! Can you believe it?
Shearer was also asked about a Sunderland fan throwing a red and white shirt over his statue at St James’ Park, but the Toon icon saw the humour.
He said: “Yeah, I saw that! I did make me laugh some of the stuff on the socials before the game.”
Sunderland rolled out the red carpet for Newcastle
Days later, it’s still difficult to understand what Sunderland let Newcastle do to their own stadium. It was a huge miscalculation that will haunt them for years.
It set the tone for the entire weekend, as Eddie Howe’s team strolled around the Stadium of Light like they owned it.
Then they went one step further in their celebrations after the game, taking their typical post-victory photo on the pitch in front of the Toon fans rather than in the changing room.
Everything went Newcastle’s way prior to, during, and following the game. Sunderland rolled out the red carpet, and Newcastle milked it for all its worth.
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