Newcastle United put an end to their derby day despair on Saturday, much to the delight of Toon legend Alan Shearer.
The Magpies cruised to a 3-0 victory at the Stadium Of Light, winning the first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016. Not only that, it was Newcastle’s first win over Sunderland since 2011.
Eddie Howe and his team got the job done, and celebrated in style after the game. They took their post-victory team photo on the pitch in front of the 6,000 travelling fans, which has not gone down well with some pundits.
But Shearer loved it, as he welcomed back one of English football’s greatest fixtures.
It was a real shock to face Sunderland in the FA Cup, but fate brought us together. Now Shearer wants the two sides to meet more often, which would mean the Black Cats winning promotion to the Premier League.
Alan Shearer wants Newcastle to play against Sunderland more often
On the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer admitted that he would like Sunderland to win promotion so that we could witness the ‘nasty’ Tyne-Wear derby more often.
“Yeah, we don’t like each other,” he said.
“And it’s pretty nasty but they are great games to play in.
“I mean, they might not thank me, but I really hope that Sunderland come up because Newcastle vs Sunderland games haven’t happened for such a long time that you do miss them, because they are great games to play in.
“It’s very, very nasty.”
Dan Burn agrees with Shearer about Sunderland
For all its ferocity, Shearer wants more of the Tyne-Wear derby. It is a view shared by Toon defender Dan Burn, who also admitted that he would like Sunderland to come up from the Championship.
The Geordie boys absolutely loved derby day – although that was probably boosted by the fact that Newcastle won.
It was vital they did win, considering the gulf between the two clubs right now. Eddie Howe would have been under huge pressure if his side had lost to Sunderland, but they got the job done with ease.
No one knows when the next derby will be, but it could be as early as next season. That will be down to Sunderland though, as they go in search of promotion.
The Black Cats currently occupy the last playoffs slot, as they prepare for a challenging second half of the campaign under new manager Michael Beale.
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