Alious
Sunderland’s dominance in the Wear–Tyne derby has been further underlined by recognition from Alan Shearer, who included two Black Cats players in his Premier League Team of the Week following their victory over Newcastle United.
The Black Cats edged past their rivals 1–0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, with the decisive moment coming via a Nick Woltemade own goal. That result extended Sunderland’s remarkable recent record against Newcastle, leaving them unbeaten in their last 10 league meetings with the Magpies—a streak stretching all the way back to March 2012.
Regis Le Bris’ side continue to impress on their return to the top flight. After 16 league matches, Sunderland sit eighth in the table, level on points with Manchester United, Liverpool and Crystal Palace above them on goal difference, and just two points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
A major factor behind Sunderland’s strong campaign has been their defensive solidity. Only four Premier League teams have conceded fewer than the Black Cats’ 17 goals this season, and that resilience was once again on full display in Sunday’s derby.
Newcastle were kept firmly at arm’s length, managing just two shots on target and six attempts overall, generating a meagre 0.24 expected goals, according to FotMob. It was a defensive performance that left little room for debate—and one that earned individual praise from Newcastle legend Shearer, albeit perhaps reluctantly.
In his weekly selections for the Premier League’s official website, Shearer named centre-back Dan Ballard and left-back Reinildo in his Team of the Week.
Ballard, in particular, was outstanding at the heart of Sunderland’s defence. “He didn’t put a foot wrong and dealt with everything Newcastle threw at him,” Shearer wrote. The numbers backed up that assessment: Ballard won all three of his ground duels, claimed four of seven aerial battles, made eight clearances, and added a tackle, an interception and a recovery. Impressively, no Newcastle player managed to dribble past him, and he showed composure in possession by misplacing just four of his 34 passes.
Reinildo was equally influential on the left flank. Shearer noted that Newcastle found no joy attacking down his side, adding that Anthony Elanga was completely nullified. The Mozambique international was just as dominant statistically, recording two tackles, five clearances, two interceptions, a block and seven recoveries. Like Ballard, he was never beaten in a dribble, won both of his aerial duels and four of six ground duels, and also contributed going forward with two crosses, six passes into the final third and a successful dribble.
Shearer’s full Premier League Team of the Week featured: Bernd Leno; Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Dan Ballard, Reinildo; Harry Wilson, Morgan Rogers, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Hugo Ekitike and Erling Haaland, with Pep Guardiola named as manager.
While the derby accolades are welcome, Sunderland have little time to dwell on them. A demanding trip to Brighton awaits this weekend, before the Black Cats close out 2025 at home against fellow promoted side Leeds United. The new year will then begin with a daunting run, featuring home and away tests against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Alious
