Everything Alan Shearer and Micah Richards said about Sunderland win vs Newcastle
Alan Shearer and Micah Richards unsurprisingly have very different viewpoints on Sunderland’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Sunday.
Nick Woltemade’s own goal at the start of the second half gave the Black Cats a memorable win in what was the first Wear-Tyne derby in the Premier League since 2017.
Regis Le Bris’ side sit seventh in the Premier League table, while Newcastle are languishing in 12th place after they were bullied with ease by the Mackems.
Newcastle were the favourites to beat Sunderland, and it’s safe to say Shearer wasn’t exactly happy with what he saw at the joyous Stadium of Light.
Alan Shearer gives minimal credit to Sunderland
Shearer has praised Sunderland’s form already this season, although it has understandably been through gritted teeth.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast on 15 December, Shearer was livid with Newcastle’s performance in the derby, and didn’t heap much praise on the Black Cats.
He said: “You go away to Sunderland, who aren’t a great team, and after half an hour, they had about 70 per cent possession.
“They deserved to win, and they were up to the fight. Well done to Sunderland. But Newcastle were terrible.”
| Sunderland | Stat | Newcastle |
| 47% | Possession | 53% |
| 54 | Duels won | 53 |
| 10 | Tackles | 8 |
| 11 | Interceptions | 3 |
Even though Sunderland completely dominated the Magpies, Shearer failed to give much praise to their performance, focusing instead on his team’s woes.
Newcastle were outfought and outmanned by Sunderland in every department, with Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete proving to be impenetrable.
Despite Shearer’s outlook on Newcastle, Richards was amazed by the atmosphere the fans had created.
Le Bris has previously alluded to the importance of the home fans, and the vociferous nature of the Stadium of Light has already carried the team to memorable wins.
Micah Richards praises extraordinary Sunderland fans
Tony Pulis was very impressed with Sunderland’s atmosphere at the start of the season and alluded to the fact that it could be key to them avoiding relegation.
The Black Cats are unbeaten at home, and they are showing no signs of slowing down in front of their fans.
Richards said: “The Sunderland fans today were absolutely incredible. That’s the loudest I’ve heard any fans this season.
“Going to the Stadium of Light is like a fortress. They didn’t give Newcastle a minute to breathe on the ball.”
What an afternoon it was, we can’t wait for many more.
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