Sunderland beat Newcastle 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in the first Tyne-Wear derby in the Premier League in nearly ten years. The clash was decided by an own goal from Woltemade early in the second half, in a tight, nervous game with very few clear chances. The result took Sunderland to 26 points, lifted the team into seventh place and extended an uncomfortable run for their rivals, who haven’t won this matchup in the league for a decade.
A tight, tense first half with little attacking action
From the opening minutes, it was clear the game wouldn’t flow easily. Sunderland and Newcastle struggled to settle, misplaced simple passes and showed more concern about staying compact than pushing forward. The stadium atmosphere weighed heavily, and the tempo stayed low for most of the first half. The first shot of the match only came in the 22nd minute, when Enzo Le Fee tried his luck and saw his effort blocked, followed by a long-range attempt from Granit Xhaka that sailed over the bar.
Newcastle had more of the ball but failed to turn that into real danger. Sunderland relied on physical battles and long balls, also without much success. Late in the half, Dan Ballard rose higher than Tino Livramento from a set piece and headed over, one of the few moments Sunderland got close before the break.
An early own goal changes the game and holds until the end
The second half had barely begun when the derby was decided. Just 59 seconds in, Mukiele crossed from the right and Woltemade tried to clear with a header. The deflection came off powerfully, struck the underside of the crossbar and went in. It was an unfortunate, unlikely moment, but enough to settle the entire match. From then on, Sunderland played with a narrow lead, while Newcastle took on the risk of chasing an equalizer.
Even so, Newcastle’s response was limited. There were spells of pressure, but few genuinely dangerous chances. Wharton hit the post early in the second half in one of the best openings of the game, and Wissa nearly connected with a cross from Jacob Murphy, but accuracy was missing. Sunderland didn’t push forward either. Wilson Isidor, introduced after the break, forced Ramsdale into a save from a tight angle, but it was an isolated moment.
The game stayed tense to the end, with plenty of duels, stoppages and little flowing soccer. In stoppage time, tempers flared even more, and the final whistle was met with loud celebrations at the Stadium of Light, driven more by what the result meant than by the performance itself. The win extended important marks for Sunderland, who have now gone ten straight league games without losing to Newcastle, with seven wins and three draws, a rare feat in the history of this rivalry.