Kicked in th DERBY DAY DISASTER AS GENEROU E Ballards S BLACK CATS HELP OUT TOON
TWO goals from Alexander Isak settled the most eagerlyawaited of derbies in Newcastle’s favour as Eddie Howe’s side tip-toed around the Wearside banana skin.
The Swedish striker struck twice in the second half as the Toon put their poor recent form behind them to win the first Tyne-wear tete-a-tete for nearly eight years.
Sunderland, overly generous neighbours given the stakes, contributed to their own downfall with an own goal from Dan Ballard which set Newcastle on their way.
English football indulges in periodic navel-gazing over the relevance of the FA Cup in the modern era. There are moans over the quality of the sides put out by clubs with other priorities.
But to be at the Stadium of Light yesterday for third round day was to experience the competition as it was meant to be. Full teams. Full voltage. Full on. At the end Newcastle marked the occasion with a team picture in front of their 6,000 travelling fans. It meant that much. By then the febrile atmosphere for the raucous reunion between the two fierce rivals had well and truly dissipated. There was one minor flare-up which saw Anthony
Gordon booked but it wasn’t a malicious derby.
Howe’s Magpies were superior in every sense. Against the youngest team in the Championship it did look at times like men against boys.
The only down side for Newcastle was the loss of Joelinton to a thigh injury early in the second half but it did little to disrupt their rhythm.
Comfortably in control, they did not have to get out of second gear.
Sunderland, for all the passion of their support, hardly laid a glove on their rivals in an attacking sense.
They tried and failed to play their way through, could not cope with the visitors’ pressing and struggled to keep hold of the ball for any length of time. Newcastle thought they had a penalty in the 3 minute when Isak went to gro chasing Miguel Almiron’s pass.
But referee Craig Pawson ru the muscular attentions of defen Ballard had been above board. W no VAR to take a second look, t was that.
Five minutes later the deadl was finally broken.
Joelinton surged clear Ballard, sliding to cut out Brazilian’s dangerous cross, dive the ball into his own net with I waiting behind him to score.
The second half was less tha minute old when Almiron har Pierre Ekwah into a terri defensive lapse and Isak finis to double Newcastle’s lead. T
keeper Martin Dubravka was called into action for the first time shortly afterwards to save a long-range shot as Ekwah tried to make amends.
Alex Pritchard fired just over from distance but it took a dizzying intervention from Luke O’nien’s head to stop Almiron making it 3-0.
Pritchard, Sunderland’s most effective player, forced Dubravka into a sprawling stop with 16 minutes left.
After going close for Newcastle when Jack Clarke lost possession, Gordon then won the last-minute penalty for Ballard’s body-check that gave the ref no choice. Isak put away the spot-kick. Game, set and bragging rights to Newcastle.