Sunderland vs Newcastle match report: Adam Johnson inspires first victory for Sam Allardyce and celebrates goal in controversial fashion

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Adam Johnson celebrates his goal in front of the Newcastle fans

It sounded like a hiss. “Seeex in a row, seeex in a row,” came the chant. The arms in the air were of those from Wearside. Six fingers were being held up and they were being pointed at the 3,000 Newcastle fans, stood bewildered, out of love with life, never mind football or their team.

History tells us this will never happen again. That one team in the tribal fight will never have this kind of dominance in the North east again. Neither team had ever beaten the other six times on the trot.

In 2007, on 10 November, Newcastle were in control of the region, they had won five successively, but when they travelled to the Stadium of Light, under their new manager, Sam Allardyce, they could not win. They could not write that final chapter.

Sunderland did yesterday, with Allardyce this time in the home dugout, so happy with life that in the 92nd minute, when the victorious “olés” that greeted every time the home side touched the ball had changed to “Big Sam, give us a wave”, he struck his right arm into the air as if he was royalty. All he needed was a white glove.


 Steve McClaren rages as Fabricio Coloccini is sent off
 (Getty Images)

Forty four thousand people raised the decibel level in acknowledgement.

Sunderland had won for the sixth time in a row against Newcastle, a run that started on 14 April 2013, when Newcastle surrendered under Alan Pardew. Paolo di Canio slid on his knees at St James’ Park and Tyneside imploded with rage.

They no longer know where to point their anger. Their side has never played as well in a derby as they did yesterday for years. Yet it was a game that, for all the hatred, the anger, the helicopters flying over Tyneside at 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning, boiled down to the very finest of detail, such a fine margin that was lost to most in the maelstrom of delirium and deep despair.

Did Steven Fletcher have an obvious goalscoring opportunity? It was the day’s defining question. In uncertainty came the most subtle of answers. Steve McClaren was adamant. “No,” he said. “No.”

This game span so quickly in the 45th minute that it was hard to keep up, never mind keep track.

Newcastle were completely in control. Allardyce, even in victory, spoke of his concern. He is not usually bothered by the possession percentage statistic, but it stood at 70-30 to Newcastle. He acclaimed the importance of Costel Pantilimon afterwards, whose best save came in the opening stages – when Sunderland could not get out of their half – when he blocked a Fabricio Coloccini shot in the fourth minute.

It would not be Coloccini’s most notable contribution of the afternoon, though. That came in the moments that followed Georginio Wijnaldum’s attempted spin on Lee Cattermole, just inside the Sunderland penalty area, in the 45th minute. The ball appeared to clip Cattermole on the arm and there was a hint of a block with his other arm. It would have been a harsh call, even though Graeme Souness (like McClaren) thought it should have been a penalty.

It wasn’t and Sunderland broke. Jermain Defoe, on because of a calf injury to Ola Toivonen, played in Fletcher. Rob Elliot, the third choice Newcastle goalkeeper came, and stopped. The indecision would prove catastrophic. Coloccini had lost a yard on Fletcher and in the belated attempt to shield the ball back to his keeper, he obstructed the Scottish forward, who tumbled, with arms, leg and beard flailing.

McClaren admitted afterwards he had doubt about the experience of Robert Madley, the referee, who is 30. Madley blew immediately for a penalty and then he changed the game by brandishing a red card at the Newcastle captain. McClaren fumed in and out of his technical area. Coloccini would initially not leave the field. McClaren said afterwards he had never seen the player so angry.

There was a lot of that from Newcastle in that moment, but none of it affected Adam Johnson. He drilled a fine penalty in first-half injury-time into the bottom corner of Elliot’s goal, and ran the length of the field to celebrate, waving his arms in front of the Newcastle fans. The mood of a stadium changed dramatically.

McClaren was angry enough to confront Madley on the pitch when the half-time whistle went. “We talked about it before [the game],” said McClaren. “We need an experienced referee for this.”

Newcastle did not wilt. Indeed, in the 55th minute Aleksandar Mitrovic cut in and was denied by a good Pantilimon save. It was another key moment. Ten minutes later, Johnson took a corner from the right, the unmarked Yann M’Vila volleyed back towards goal and Billy Jones forced in a second from barely a yard out.

The third came in a sweeping move, when Moussa Sissoko had lost possession as Newcastle pressed. Younes Kaboul ended up on the left wing and his inch-perfect cross was met sweetly at the far post by Fletcher, who volleyed home.

Sam Allardyce celebrates a the final whistle (Getty Images)

Sunderland’s fans were still celebrating outside the main gates at the Stadium of Light when Mike Ashley slipped out of a side door, to a waiting black car. Ten man Newcastle had 61 per cent of possession, 21 shots on goal and 10 corners. But still fell to a sixth successive defeat. The new manager of Sunderland, in his second game in charge after losing the first, had, for the fourth time running, won his second game against Newcastle.