It was another strange game as Newcastle and Sunderland met in the first Tyne-Wear derby of the season, with the Black Cats coming out on top and sealing a historic victory as they claimed their sixth derby win in a row.
Sunderland 3-0 Newcastle
The first half started out without the usual blood and thunder that one expects from local rivalries of this nature but there was no shortage of chances as Newcastle were certainly the better side during the opening 45 minutes.
They opened Sunderland up repeatedly as the half wore on, with a number of the home side's players looking tired and off the pace, misplacing passes and putting themselves into further trouble by making bad decisions.
Things looked to get even worse for Sunderland as they were forced into two first half substitutes through injury, one of whom was Ireland's John O'Shea, who came off with a hamstring problem.
The entire game was flipped on its head right before the break, however, as Stephen Fletcher broke towards the box and Fabricio Coloccini came across to shield the ball. There was definitely contact, but the referee saw it as a penalty and a red card, something that Steve McClaren was not happy about.
Adam Johnson slotted home the spot kick and ran the entire length of the field to celebrate at the opposite end to the Newcastle fans, and the whistle blew moments later.
Image: Owen Humphreys / PA Wire/Press Association Images
Newcastle's luck didn't change in the second half, as they now faced the prospect of a Sunderland team who had surely felt the wrath of Big Sam after a terrible performance. They came out with a bit more intensity, or at least Lee Cattermole did, as he clattered into former teammate Jack Colback and left him injured and needing to be subbed off.
From then on, Newcastle looked to be slow and ponderous on the ball, and lacked any real ability to break down Allardyce's side, who were then camped in their half for the remainder of the match, looking to catch their opponents on the break.
That worked for the most part, as they scored from a set piece when a corner was met by Yann M’Vila on the volley, and it struck the foot of Billy Jones (who is likely to claim more influence over it than that) to extend the lead to 2-0.
They added a third, and final goal, again on the break through Steven Fletcher five minutes before time, which was the pick of the goals as they broke once again and he met a lofted ball with a sweet strike at the back post.
Image: Owen Humphreys / PA Wire/Press Association Images
Speaking after the game, Sam Allardyce was delighted with the victory, and talked to Off The Ball's Nathan Murphy about the injury that saw John O'Shea limping off with a hamstring strain.
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