‘Can you believe it’… Alan Shearer stunned after what Sunderland did before Newcastle game on Saturday

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Sunderland rolled out the red carpet for Newcastle United, much to the amusement of Toon legend Alan Shearer.

Eddie Howe’s side won the Tyne-Wear derby on Saturday, dominating against their biggest rivals to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

It was a fairly routine win for Newcastle, despite all the talk of Howe being under pressure as Toon boss.

His side rose to the occasion and put on a show, with plenty players in black and white shining on their derby debut. Alexander Isak was wonderful, while Bruno Guimaraes ran the show in midfield.

The Magpies excelled in front of 6,000 Geordies, who took up a whole stand inside the Stadium Of Light.

That had caused a bit of aggro in the buildup to the game, with Sunderland supporters angry at how many tickets Newcastle had been given, which resulted in some from Wearside not being able to sit in their usual seat.

Sunderland fans then became even angrier when it transpired in the buildup to the game that a bar inside the Stadium Of Light had been redecorated with Newcastle artwork, replacing the Sunderland banners that were usually there.

This was a massive PR blunder by the Black Cats, and it led to a statement apologising to their supporters.

Alan Shearer can’t believe Sunderland let Newcastle redecorate their bar

From a Toon perspective, it was hilarious, and that is a view shared by Alan Shearer. He discussed what went on before the derby on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast.

“Sunderland did that themselves!,” he said.

“When I saw those pictures I thought some of the Geordies must have broken into the Stadium of Light and decorated the room that was going to be theirs. But Sunderland football club did it themselves, can you believe it!”

Shearer was also asked about a Sunderland fan putting a red and white shirt over his statue at St James’ Park, but the Toon legend saw the funny side.

He said: “Yeah, I saw that! I did make me laugh some of the stuff on the socials before the game.”

Sunderland rolled out the red carpet for Newcastle

Days after the event, it is still hard to believe what Sunderland let Newcastle do to their own stadium. It was a monumental blunder that will haunt them for years.

It set the tone for the entire weekend, as Eddie Howe’s players strutted around the Stadium Of Light as if they owned the place.

Then they took it a step further with their celebrations after the match, taking their traditional post-victory photo on the pitch in front of the Toon fans rather than in the dressing room.

Everything went Newcastle’s way before, during and after the game. Sunderland rolled out the red carpet, and Newcastle milked it for everything it was worth.