Sunderland vs Newcastle: How Power Dynamic Has Shifted in North East Football - comment

Sunderland set off a seismic shock among England’s footballing elite on Sunday afternoon, and the chain reaction of their resurgence is still to take full effect. 

Not only did Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on the final day of the season see Regis Le Bris’ side finish in seventh place, it cemented a place in the Europa League for next term. 

Given his remarkable finish with a newly-promoted side, many Black Cats fans feel Le Bris deserves the Manager of the Season award, but perhaps his greatest achievement this season runs deeper than the impending European journey. 

Finishes will fluctuate across his tenure as Sunderland boss, but Le Bris and his side have changed the power dynamic in north east football, potentially forever, with their mockery of Newcastle United this season. 

In October of 2021, the Saudi-led PIG consortium took over Newcastle for a staggering £305m fee, and the Magpies went on to survive relegation under newly-appointed Eddie Howe. 

For context, at the same time Sunderland were fighting for promotion back from League One into the Championship, which they did so at the end of the 2021/22 campaign with the play-off final win over Wycombe Wanderers.

Fast forward four seasons, and Sunderland have leapfrogged their arch rivals in the Premier League table by five places and five points. 

That difference seems fairly minimal on paper, but it is the intangible separation now between the two north east powerhouses which is so substantial. 

Newly-promoted Sunderland, who invested around £100m less than their noisy neighbours, proved that money does not buy results as Le Bris’ side did the double over the Magpies. 

First, a commanding victory on home soil came courtesy of an embarrassing Nick Woltemade headed own goal.

In the reverse fixture at St James’ Park, the Black Cats came back in typical fashion from a goal behind to win 2-1, with Brian Brobbey cementing the shell-shocking victory to rub serious salt in black-and-white wounds.

Since suffering relegation from the top flight in May 2017, Sunderland had lived in the shadow of Newcastle up until this season, sandwiched by a 3-0 FA Cup defeat to their historic foes at the Stadium of Light in the campaign before Le Bris arrived on Wearside.

However, the erudite Frenchman and his cohort of Sunderland stars have changed the trajectory of north east football forever. 

Considering the discrepancy in investment, time spent in the top flight and the jibes sent by the Newcastle supporters before the campaign kicked-off, it is both a damning indictment of Howe and the Magpies project that the newly-promoted Wearsiders have embarrassed them so heavily this season.

Magpies legend Alan Shearer ridiculously claimed after Sunderland’s promotion that “it would be an easy six points” for Newcastle this season, but the famous goalscorer could not have been further from the truth.

His comments, mirroring those of every Magpies supporter, has made Sunderland’s stunning and vengeful season just that little bit sweeter. 

The Black Cats are no longer chasing their tails when it comes to Newcastle, they now sit perched as kings top of the region’s footballing throne, and will fight until their collective last breath next season to extend their renewed reign of dominance.