How Anthony Patterson and Chris Rigg influenced Sunderland’s win vs Newcastle
Sunderland continued their unbeaten run against Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday.
After nine years of being taunted, Sunderland finally got their revenge on Newcastle with a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light.
Newcastle’s £69million striker, Nick Woltemade, scored the goal that saw the Black Cats extend their unbeaten league run against the Magpies to ten games.
His influence was certainly valuable, but those who never even made it on the pitch also had a big part to play, and that was only showcased by Sunderland‘s antics after the full-time whistle.
Sunderland needed their own to beat Newcastle
Sunday’s game on Wearside was hardly one for the neutral, with just three shots on target over the entire 98 minutes.
However, it was a game full of passion and intensity, and it was Sunderland who won that battle at the Stadium of Light.
Every tackle was cheered like a goal, and that energy was clearly absorbed by the players on the pitch, who wanted the win just as much as the fans.
With that said, the energy also came from the likes of Chris Rigg and Anthony Patterson, despite neither of them getting on the pitch.
The latter was seen on the touchline when the game threatened to boil over.
Both of them are local lads, with Rigg having Newcastle ties himself, and their influence was demonstrated when both players couldn’t contain their joy at organising the on-pitch photograph at the end of the game – Sunderland’s way of getting back to their rivals after a defeat in the FA Cup last year.
These aren’t the games that define a season – not even close, but they are the games that can set a clear mentality in the dressing room, and without those who have a clear understanding of what the fixture truly means, you end up with a performance that resembles that of Eddie Howe’s men.
Luke O’Nien also played a crucial role
Having been there since Sunderland’s dark days in League One, Luke O’Nien’s impact cannot be hailed enough.
His sending off against Man City stripped him of the chance to play a part physically, but it couldn’t stop him playing a part mentally.
As revealed by Enzo Le Fee, it was O’Nien who had the final team talk on Sunday, having suffered the defeat in the FA Cup last year.
“Usually Granit (Xhaka) as captain says the last word before we go to the pitch, but today he wanted Luke O’Nien to speak as he knows what this match means the most,” Le Fee said.
“That was different about today, and it helped us.”
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