Interesting to read these comments from BBC Sport after Newcastle United lost 1-0 to Sunderland.
The comments from neutral people in particular tell…
It was very different to what Newcastle United fans had come to expect from BBC Sport’s ‘neutrals’.
BBC Sport comments from neutrals in the past have largely been a catalog of abuse directed at NUFC supporters.
Particularly stuff about the owners of Newcastle United and the media-inspired fuss that NUFC fans have become accustomed to when they are blamed for who now owns their club.
On this occasion the politics were completely absent and instead focused on matters on the pitch and the neutral sides enjoyed seeing Newcastle United lose a game!
The BBC Sport readers comments of neutral players, some Newcastle supporters and many Sunderland fans also contributed:
‘I didn’t think there was much in the match, no real chances for either team.
Newcastle probably did what they wanted to do, as did Sunderland.
Without that bizarre own goal it would probably have been 0-0 and everyone would have been happy.”
‘I hate to cheer a Newcastle goal as a Sunderland fan, but that Woltemade goal was absolutely otherworldly.’
‘I put it on when they showed the replays, I initially assumed he was scoring for Newcastle. Excellent header.’
‘Only quality throughout the game.’
‘MOTM was the ref for me. Let go of the game and ignore the little things. They get criticized enough that when they do a good job, they deserve credit.”
‘I thought the opposite. Lots of cheap shots and two yellow card fouls from the Sunderland striker, the worst of which was ignored.”
‘He was shocking. I am an ex-sponsor.’
“Except we failed to send Brobbey off for an OBVIOUS second yellow card!”
‘Too many Newcastle players bottled it today.’
‘Game full of passion from Sunderland, but Newcastle just didn’t show up.
And that was one of the best own goals ever.
The support from Sunderland fans was brilliant as usual.”
‘All you could hear on the television were Newcastle fans, even when we were 1-0 down.’
‘It just proves it’s not a derby, despite what both fans say.
Derbies are games that are played every season (take us (Liverpool) and Everton) not once in a generation.”
‘Derby doesn’t play against Forest every year. The same goes for Bristol City and Rovers. Makes the games even bigger.”
‘Sunderland wasn’t that great. Hardly any trouble from the keeper and needed an own goal to score. At least they won their cup final
‘I sympathize with the home fans who watch that tripe every home game. One shot on target from a home player in a home match???’
‘Really well done for Sunderland, I’ve been a Chelsea supporter (all my life from 6 years old, I’m 60 now) but I love seeing these guys in the Prem, and rightly so, and taking on teams and them doing ‘come there, you “Mackem’s” sorry if I spelled it wrong’
‘Isn’t it great to have the derby matches back? Now we just need the smoggies again so we can enjoy a few more. Ha, guys.’
‘How many shots did Sunderland have on target? Haha, relying on an own goal to achieve a result at home.’
‘I really think Newcastle could have done it before this game without saying ‘the best in the world’ or whatever. Sunderland has taught them a lesson they would be only too happy to take to heart.”
‘We will have to console ourselves with our ongoing Champions League campaign and our fourth consecutive quarter-final of the Carabao Cup (of which we are the holders).
Not to mention all the games we’ll win in the Premier League between now and the end of the season to propel us above Sunderland.
‘Newcastle ud can be proud to support English football…’ Sunderland could not name a single English player in the STARTING 11.’
‘Well done, from a Leeds fan!’
‘NUFC, a great example of a team that thinks itself better than they actually are.’
‘We think we should be higher than twelfth place, yes. We still have our sights set on fifth place and have closed a bigger gap than we currently have to achieve that last season.
Remember that unlike Sunderland, Newcastle have not been beaten by more than two goals this season. Both of our two-goal defeats needed late stoppage time goals to avoid becoming one-goal defeats.”
‘Dream on.’
‘Newcastle have actually achieved things, won a trophy and played in the Champions League several times.
You beat them in a match, and rightly so.
However, Newcastle have a much greater tradition in the Premier League and to say dream on, as if they haven’t done these things and have no chance of doing them again, is foolish.
And I’m not a fan of either team.”
‘Today Sunderland played like a Scottish derby team somewhere.
A terrible game and that’s why I despise the NE derby.
No football fan would want to see that waste, regardless of the outcome.
One day I hope to see good quality football in this bullshit derby.’
‘NUFC are nothing special and if you think getting into Europe means a lot then ask Leicester.’
‘Very stupid comment. NUFC has been to Europe much more often in the past 30 years than, for example, Leicester. Do you know why they entered Europe so often? You can only solve that if you are so inclined.
A hard-fought win for Sunderland today. Well done. They have not been to Europe once in that same thirty year period. Any idea why(?)
‘I will always look at the positives and there will always be a lot of positives to look at!
We’re not living in the Mike Ashley era anymore.’
‘Howe has form for putting together these little runs. It doesn’t even have to be 6 in a row – 3 in a row, then a tie and then 3 in a row is fine.
Newcastle is capable of that. Neither Wissa nor Woltemade are fully aware of Newcastle’s systems and their teammate’s movements, but every week that awareness is growing, and if we ever get a free week Howe can work on that.”
“A decade may have passed, but nothing has changed.
It feels like Newcastle are once again the team scrapping to avoid relegation and have no fight or desire to beat their arch-rivals.”
‘Well, that was a terrible match to watch, without any quality whatsoever. It deserved to be 0-0, as neither team created anything worth mentioning. I wish I’d watched Forest vs Spurs instead.’
Sunderland 1 Newcastle 0 – Sunday 14 December 2025 2pm
Match statistics
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Sunderland:
Woltemade OG 46
Possess was Newcastle 54% Sunderland 46%
Total shots were Newcastle 6 Sunderland 5
Shots on target were Newcastle 2 Sunderland 1
Corners were Newcastle 6 Sunderland 3
Touches in the opposition box Newcastle 14 Sunderland 14
Newcastle team vs Sunderland:
Ramsdale, Livramento, Thiaw, Burn (Schar 42), Hall, Tonali (Willock 59), Miley, Bruno, Gordon (Barnes 59), Woltemade (Wissa 75), Elanga (Jacob Murphy 59)
Unused subs:
Ruddy, Joelinton, Alex Murphy, Ramsey
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