New low for ‘pathetic’ Newcastle – as Sunderland in dreamland

From mocking and celebration to despair and disbelief – Newcastle fans went through every emotion as their poor Tyne-Wear derby record continued.

Leading Sunderland 1-0 after nine minutes with a goal from Anthony Gordon, Newcastle were on course to claim a first league win over their local rivals since 2010.

St James’ Park was bouncing, with the supporters getting the perfect response to the humiliating 7-2 loss to Barcelona on Wednesday, a result that brought their Champions League campaign to a shuddering halt.

The home fans frequently chanted manager Eddie Howe’s name. But it was a very different story at the end – with undoubtedly the lowest point of the season for the Toon Army.

“I understand the criticism, accept it and have no issue with it,” said a devastated Howe afterwards. “My first thought as a leader is to front up and absorb it. It is a very, very painful result, most of all for our supporters – they are the ones I think about now.

“I’ve got very little to use as an excuse and I don’t want to go down that road. You expect to be criticised and I understand why. We have not done our jobs today in the second half and we’re very disappointed in ourselves.

“I’m fully committed to the job and I’m disappointed in my delivery today and in the last week.”

It proved to be a difficult day for Newcastle on and off the pitch, with crowd trouble outside the stadium and the Sunderland team coach damaged by thrown bottles.

No team in the Premier League this season has let slip more points from winning positions than Newcastle’s 22.

Club legend Alan Shearer was scathing when he wrote on X that the side’s performance was a “pathetic, weak, lazy, limp second half from Newcastle again”.

Play Fantasy Football for a second and add 22 points to Newcastle’s tally – they would be second on 64, six behind leaders Arsenal and in the title race.

However, reality has them 12th on 42 points, four adrift of eighth-placed Everton, who, depending on who wins the FA Cup, could be in a qualifying position for the third-tier Conference League.

From Champions League football in two of the past three campaigns, Newcastle face the real prospect of no continental competition in 2026-27.

Gordon said his side’s inability to keep a lead was becoming a real problem.

“In the past few years once we scored one at home we are looking for two, three, four where we go on and dominate. We haven’t been that team this year,” said the England winger.

“The stadium gets a bit shaky when we are ahead. Repeatedly this year the second half has been a problem. I spoke about that in the changing room before we went out and still we were poor.

For Sunderland, this result is surely the high point of an already memorable season following their promotion from the Championship via the play-offs.

The Black Cats had been in the third tier of English football as recently as 2021-22 – and the home fans unfurled a mocking banner before the start.

As well as a stunning tifo that covered one side of the ground, the home fans displayed a sign at the Gallowgate End that read: ‘Welcome to the region’s capital – you’ve been gone for so long!’

But Sunderland’s fans were the ones who had the last laugh.

Brobbey’s late winner meant their side completed a double over Newcastle for the first time since 2014-15, after winning 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in December.

Former England defender Jamie Carragher said: “Ten years since they have played at St James’ Park in the Premier League, and Newcastle just cannot beat Sunderland.

“What a moment for them – probably never dreamed in these last four or five years that they could beat Newcastle. Got up through the play-offs last season, and to do the double over their biggest rivals, one of the best moments their young fans will remember.”

For manager Regis le Bris, what made the achievement more special was that his side performed so well.

“It’s a big achievement and it means a lot for our fans and the group with the quality we showed,” he said.

“The team reacted well and we showed what we wanted to show in the second half. For our fans, for us to win two games against Newcastle, who played in the Champions League last week, it means a lot and is another stage for us.

Newcastle’s training ground was a “sombre place” after Howe’s side lost the Wear-Tyne derby in December.

It will feel like a morgue following this defeat.

It is one thing conceding seven goals against Barcelona at the Nou Camp – quite another for Newcastle to lose to their bitter rivals at St James’ Park just a few days later.

But such extreme setbacks are in keeping with Newcastle’s wild season.

Just when Howe’s men appeared to be generating a little momentum – defeating Chelsea and Manchester United in back-to-back league games – they have been brought crashing down to earth.

But you never know what you are going to get with this team, which has been a recurring theme throughout a rollercoaster campaign.

On one hand, Newcastle reached the last 16 of the Champions League for only the second time, as well as the Carabao Cup semi-finals for a third time in four seasons.

On the other, they have suffered a whopping 13 league defeats.

A side who looked primed to kick on after qualifying for the Champions League and ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy have never truly got going with a sustained run this season.

However, there was a recognition internally that there would be choppy waters to navigate after Newcastle lost star striker Alexander Isak, missed out on a host of top transfer targets and made four of their five permanent additions in the final fortnight of the summer window.

It has taken the overwhelming majority of Newcastle’s signings time to make an impact.

Newcastle spent £124m on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa yet the pair did not even get on the field at the Nou Camp this week.

Woltemade made an impressive start at Newcastle, but has found himself being trialled as a midfielder of late, while Wissa has struggled to make any sort of lasting impression.

It has got to the stage where winger Gordon is Newcastle’s best option through the middle despite last summer’s huge outlay.

Yet Howe’s most pressing issue is at the back.

Remarkably, this leaky side have conceded 45 goals in all competitions in 2026.

Howe has had little time to address these matters on the training pitches during a draining campaign in which Newcastle have played more games than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues.