WILL Newcastle ever win a league derby against Sunderland again?
Geordies everywhere will be turning to Gypsy curses, hunting four leaf clovers and doing whatever else they can think of to try and turn the tide in the North East.
Sunderland have had 15 permanent managers and three successful Netflix series since they last lost to the Mags in the top-flight.
And maybe even desperate Eddie Howe will join them in searching for a good luck charm with the greatest boss of Newcastle’s modern era now in big trouble after Brian Brobbey’s hammer blow.
For a second-straight derby, his team failed to show up as Sunderland launched a stirring comeback to seal the double over the enemy.
It is 11 league derbies in a row without a win for Newcastle and 16 years since Sunderland last lost at St. James’ Park.
Not that Regis Le Bris’ side needed any luck. Gladiator Brobbey set the tone as the Black Cats outfought the Mags to seal a famous double and climb above them in the table.
Legendary Alan Shearer called it a “pathetic, weak and lazy” display from Newcastle as they threw it all away after Anthony Gordon’s early opener. But the fact Sunderland have now gained 19 points from losing positions – joint-most with Aston Villa – tells you everything about them.
For both supporters and players alike, the visitors had to run the gauntlet from the off. Thousands of away fans were held outside the city’s train station by police before being frog-marched up the hill towards the ground through streets lined with Geordies ready to give them a hot welcome.
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Unsavoury scenes and minor clashes occurred, with at least one arrest made, while Sunderland’s team coach also had its windscreen cracked after dropping off the players.
And after all that, Le Bris’ team had to survive a cauldron of hate and early whirlwind out on the pitch as Anthony Elanga headed over Lewis Hall’s inviting cross.
Opposition coaches Michael Proctor and Jason Tindall, Howe’s No2 who delights in these occasions, got heated on the touchline and earned a stern telling off from ref Anthony Taylor.
The Black Cats have their own panto villain in Luke O’Nien, and he delighted by slowing things down and delaying the restart at a goalkick when pulling in stopper Melker Ellborg for a lengthy chat.
He need not have bothered as he soon had egg on his face. The boos were still going when the marmite defender received the kick short before panicking as Harvey Barnes closed him. O’Nien drilled it low straight into the path of Nick Woltemade, who beat Granit Xhaka to knock it towards the waiting Gordon. Toon’s top scorer skipped round the desperate O’Nien and drilled across Ellborg to take his tally to 17 for the campaign.
Delight for Gordon and redemption for Newcastle’s giant German Woltemade too after his own goal nightmare at the Stadium of Light three months ago.
It was threatening to turn into a disaster for the Mackems, especially given their huge injury list. Without star duo Dan Ballard and keeper Robin Roefs, and with fellow ace Enzo Le Fee was only deemed fit for the bench, they were right up against it.
Though Le Bris’ men, unlike Howe’s, are made of stern stuff. And after a vicious talking to from their leader Xhaka, back they came swinging.
Talbi’s 30-yard curler had Aaron Ramsdale diving to his top left corner to tip over while Brobbey had the better of Sven Botman in every tussle but still the best chances fell the Geordies’ way.
Wasteful Elanga whacked one into side-netting before Botman rose above Omar Alderete to glance a header from Hall’s cross onto the post.
It remained on a knife-edge come the break, but the Black Cats were not about to give up their proud derby record without a scrap.
And this turned into a right dust-up, marred by stoppage in play after Lutsharel Geertruida reported being racially abused by the home fans.
Despite that vile incident, Sunderland went on to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and got the leveller from their big game player.
Firstly Chris Rigg, whose dad is a Newcastle supporter, forced Ramsdale into a near post stop. And from the resulting corner it was chaos.
Ramsdale scrambled to palm away the cross, Trai Hume smashed it back as Habib Diarra chested it goalwards. Dan Burn blocked on the line but Talbi reacted quickest to slam home from close-range.
The 20-year-old Moroccan has already shot down Chelsea and Liverpool this term, but were as sweet as this.
Hearts were in mouths when a Xhaka long-ranger deflected over Ramsdale and onto the roof of the net before the keeper pushed away a thumping Noah Sadiki effort.
You could see the anxiety on Howe and Tindall’s face. They thought they had got away with it when sub Malick Thiaw headed home a corner, but a shove from Jacob Murphy on Ellborg cut short the celebrations.
And that agony turned into absolute despair right at the death as Brobbey stabbed home at the second attempt to send the visitors up in the gods into dreamland and plunge Howe deep into the brown stuff.
