Newcastle United could well have got their season back up and running after beating Sunderland.
For the first time since 2011, Newcastle won a Tyne-Wear derby and duly progressed into the fourth round of the FA Cup by romping to a 3-0 victory in Sunderland’s backyard of the Stadium of Light.
Despite some pretty turgid away form heading into the game, Eddie Howe’s side looked a cut above their opponents for most of the contest.
An own goal from Dan Ballard and a brace from Alexander Isak sealed a morale-boosting victory after a difficult patch to have seen Howe come under pressure of late.
It will have been the first derby for almost all of the squad and it seems they were soaking up the atmosphere after the game.
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Indeed, according to Mark Douglas of iNews on X (formerly Twitter), the players took a photo of themselves celebrating in front of the away end after the full-time whistle.
Unsurprisingly, Douglas notes it has not gone down well amongst the home supporters who remained the in the ground.
Douglas wrote: “Impromptu team photo in front of the away end. Hasn’t gone down well among the home fans who remain…”
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It’s interesting to think there were reports only on Friday suggesting that rival clubs were joking about Newcastle’s lack of a team photo in recent weeks, such has been the extent of their poor form.
So then, to respond to that with a team photo having thrashed their biggest rivals seems the perfect comeback.
After all, who knows when the next derby day will come around? It could be another few years until Sunderland get promoted and Newcastle can surely forget about relegation fears during the PIF era.
To soak up the atmosphere and commemorate a big win during a difficult spell for the club seems a wise idea to boost morale.
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