Sunderland Secure Narrow Victory Over Newcastle in Premier League Derby
On 14 December 2025, Sunderland clinched a 1-0 victory against Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light in a Premier League derby. The only goal of the match came from an own goal by Nick Woltemade, who headed Nordi Mukiele’s cross into his own net via the underside of the crossbar, beating Newcastle goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
This win propelled Sunderland to 7th in the Premier League table, placing them four points and five places above their rivals Newcastle. Tactically, Newcastle’s manager Régis Le Bris shifted the team to a 4-2-3-1 formation, deploying Enzo Le Fée in a deep-lying No. 10 role, which contributed to the subdued performance of Sandro Tonali.
The first half saw few chances, with neither goalkeeper tested significantly; Dan Ballard came close for Sunderland by heading over a cross from Granit Xhaka. After more than an hour, Newcastle made a triple substitution, bringing on Willock, Murphy, and Barnes for Tonali, Elanga, and Gordon. Sunderland later replaced Woltemade with Yoane Wissa.
Key moments included Nordi Mukiele receiving a booking for a late challenge on Dan Burn, which forced a defensive substitution with Fabian Schär coming on for Burn. Towards the end, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães had a shot on target saved by Ramsdale, and Fabían Schär had another attempt blocked by Omar Alderete.
Before kickoff, the crowd paid tribute to Gary Rowell with a minute’s applause. Rowell, who died aged 68, was remembered by Sunderland fans reflecting on the 50-year anniversary since his debut. The stadium scoreboard showed Newcastle’s away badge area labeled simply as 'Visitors.'
