Sunderland produced a stunning performance to beat local rivals Newcastle by three goals to nil to kick-start their surge for survival. New manager Paolo Di Canio stood out with flamboyant celebrations as his side earned a critical three points.
It was Sunderland’s first win over Newcastle since 2008 and they were the better team from the first whistle, taking the lead through Stephane Sessegnon after 27 minutes, sparking wild celebrations from Di Canio. In truth Newcastle never looked like hitting back, failing to make any real impact on the occasion at any point. However they did have cause for complaint when Papiss Cisse had an equaliser disallowed midway through the second half, despite replays revealing that he was onside. Sunderland didn’t dwell on that though and doubled their lead via a neat finish from Adam Johnson after 74 minutes and sealed all three points eight minutes later thanks to a stunning strike from substitute James Vaughan.
The win lifts Sunderland three points clear of the relegation zone and just three points behind Newcastle who must still be looking nervously over their shoulder. Manager Alan Pardew was keen to ensure his team used this negative result to help them in the future. He said, “I will make sure it hurts the players”. Paolo Di Canio was far happier with this result however but was keen to make sure his team aren’t distracted by this result and focus on the job they still have to do to avoid relegation. “For the result in the area, it is a massive step, but in terms of the table, it’s a small step” he said.
Few Sunderland fans could have dreamt of such a result at the start of the day, but their side, seemingly lifted by the arrival of Di Canio, produced a display with more spark and creativity than we have seen from them all season. More performances like this and Di Canio wil be credited with preserving the black cats Premier League status.
