Features. Magpies' memorable derby day victories

nikos-dabizas-2002
Published
04 Jan 24
Team
Men
Read time
5 min

Ahead of the 156th Tyne-Wear derby on Saturday, we take a look back at some memorable derby day victories for the Magpies...

20th August 2011 Sunderland 0 Newcastle United 1

The Magpies' most recent derby day victory came at the home of their fierce rivals. Under the stewardship of Alan Pardew, United enjoyed a terrific 2011/12 season and secured a fifth-placed finish and Europa League football for the first time in the best part of a decade.

This win came at the start of that memorable campaign, in just their second outing. It was Taylor who sealed it, with his curling, dipping free kick finding the far corner just after the hour at the Stadium of Light, sending the travelling supporters wild. That goal gave the versatile, Liverpool-born Taylor his own place in United folklore, and it was also the first win of what became an 11-game unbeaten run which gave Pardew's men the platform they needed to build a memorable season.

31st October 2010 Newcastle United 5 Sunderland 1

The season prior to Taylor's winner on Wearside was Newcastle's first back in the top flight, after they had lifted the Championship trophy in 2009/10. Chris Hughton had led United back to the Premier League and overseen a steady start to the campaign in which his side had won three of their eight league games by the time the Black Cats came to town.

But Sunderland got a real fright when they arrived at St. James' on Halloween. Kevin Nolan's brace put them in command on Tyneside before Shola Ameobi fired home from the spot to increase Sunderland's misery.

It got even worse for the visitors when former Magpie Titus Bramble was red-carded, before Ameobi thumped home a fourth and Nolan completed his hat-trick in the final quarter of an hour, with Darren Bent's late consolation rendered meaningless on a magnificent afternoon for Hughton's men.

20th April 2008 Newcastle United 2 Sunderland 0

This was a relatively straightforward derby day victory for Kevin Keegan's side, who were in the midst of transition. Keegan had returned to the club to much fanfare three months earlier and there had been signs of improvement, and on this afternoon at St. James' Park it was his recently-appointed captain's contribution that proved decisive.

Michael Owen netted both goals for United, glancing home a cross from Geremi before slotting home a penalty after a handball from Danny Higginbotham to keep up Keegan's 100 per cent win record as manager in Tyne-Wear derbies.

17th April 2006 Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 4

Remembered chiefly for being the occasion of Alan Shearer's final outing in a black and white shirt, this was still another terrific day for Newcastle United supporters.

Justin Hoyte's first half strike had given the Black Cats the lead at the Stadium of Light but after the restart, Glenn Roeder's Magpies took charge of the contest, with substitute Michael Chopra netting barely a minute after his introduction on the hour and Shearer thumping home what proved to be his 206th and last goal for the club from the spot moments later.

Charles N'Zogbia put the game beyond Kevin Ball's beleaguered charges before Albert Luque famously wrapped it up - as the song goes - with Newcastle's fourth of the day, with the only sour note being the injury Shearer suffered in a challenge with Julio Arca which brought forward his impending retirement.

23rd October 2005 Newcastle United 3 Sunderland 2

Earlier in the 2005/06 campaign the two sides had played out a five-goal thriller on Tyneside, with two Ameobi goals either side of a Liam Lawrence effort giving United the lead before Stephen Elliott's finish made it 2-2 at the break.

And in the end it was left to Turkish midfielder Emre to settle the contest with a superb 25-yard free kick which clipped the post on its way past goalkeeper Kelvin Davis just after the hour, giving Graeme Souness' side their first of two derby wins that term.

26th April 2003 Sunderland 0 Newcastle United 1

Sir Bobby Robson's Champions League-chasers went to Wearside hoping to complete a double over the Black Cats in 2002/03, having eased beyond them in the reverse fixture at St. James' Park earlier in the season.

This one was a tighter affair, with the teams separated only by Nolberto Solano's 43rd-minute spot kick. Craig Bellamy was tripped by Kevin Kilbane in the box and Solano kept his cool to calmly roll home what proved to be the winner from the spot.

Sunderland thought they'd levelled through Kevin Kyle in the dying moments, but the goal was ruled out, just as a first half effort from Shearer had been. Newcastle finished the season with a win and a draw after this game to secure third place in the Premier League - and a spot among Europe's elite - for the second successive season, while Sunderland were relegated to the First Division.

21st September 2002 Newcastle United 2 Sunderland 0

After a tricky start to the season, with just one win in their opening five league games, Robson's United lifted spirits with a comfortable win over Peter Reid's side at St. James' Park.

The home side couldn't have made a better start as Bellamy raced onto Kieron Dyer's through ball to score the opener in front of the Leazes End after just 83 seconds, and Shearer added a second before the break with a low, driven free kick, teed up by Solano, that flew through the Sunderland wall and into the bottom corner.

The win set the Magpies up for an excellent season - they lost only four of their next 22 top flight games, with that mid-season form propelling them up the league and towards another top four finish.

24th February 2002 Sunderland 0 Newcastle United 1

After Andy O'Brien's equaliser the previous year, another centre back popped up with a vital goal at the Stadium of Light to win this one for Newcastle. Nikos Dabizas' header handed Newcastle all three points, though Shay Given's brilliance in goal certainly helped preserve the win, with his stunning stop from Kevin Phillips the most memorable of a number of interventions that kept his clean sheet intact.

4th September 1996 Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 2

Martin Scott's spot-kick had given newly-promoted Sunderland the lead in this derby at Roker Park, but the hosts had no answer to a slick second half display from the Magpies.

Peter Beardsley's header pulled United level and it was left to Les Ferdinand to nod in the winner and complete the comeback, though there were no away supporters present to savour the win due to a ban on travelling fans at Sunderland's old home. Many opted to watch a stream of the game back on Tyneside at the Arena instead, taking in what was Newcastle's final win at the ground before the Black Cat's move to the Stadium of Light.

18th October 1992 Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 2

Another famous Newcastle win came courtesy of Liam O'Brien's fine free kick in front of the Roker End over three decades ago, a goal that sparked a popular terrace song many years later. Gary Owers' own goal gave the Magpies the lead before Gordon Armstrong struck a scrappy leveller 20 minutes from time to restore parity.

But six minutes later, O'Brien's deftly clipped free kick found the top left-hand corner to hand the Magpies victory in the game that means more than the vast majority in the North East.

Related Content