Sunderland 0-3 Newcastle
by Roger Domeneghetti
at Stadium of Light

AND BREATHE… After all the hype, all the anticipation, the first Tyne-Wear derby in nearly eight years was all a bit one-sided, a bit, well, mundane.

The gulf between the Newcastle, a club with a squad that cost around £500 million to assemble, and Sunderland, whose squad cost around £20m, was just too wide for the Black Cats to bridge.

“Let’s be honest, there was a gap between the two teams when they arrived at the stadium today,” said Sunderland boss Michael Beale, “and we weren’t able to close that gap.”