To Roy Keane's list of disappointments this season – Wigan away, Everton away, Manchester United at home – the manager can most certainly add Newcastle United at St James's Park.

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For this defeat and the manner of it will take a long time to fade from the memories of fans for whom the derby means everything.

Keane has talked all season about the importance of character, but in the one game where he needed his players to show precisely that quality, they let him down.

And if he was doing a character check on his players in this game – drawing up his plans for next season – he would have been going down the list making more crosses than ticks.

It is possible that he thought his players did reasonably well – they were, after all, away from home against in-form opposition and carved out one or two clear-cut chances.

But to believe that was the case, would be to measure this derby game equally against every other game and you just can't do that – this fixture stands alone for fans on both sides in comparison to any other.

More is expected.

And it was the one game in which Sunderland needed to be at full throttle from the start, showing heart, desire, commitment, intensity, fire, fight and sheer bloody-mindedness – the passion their fans would have lapped up.

But they failed to convince from the start.

Paul McShane's second-minute foul on Michael Owen was typical of too many challenges from Sunderland throughout the game – they showed the intent but lacked the finesse.

Bone-crunching tackles can turn derbies, but ill-judged clumsy challenges, which usually yield free-kicks, rarely do.

And Michael Owen posted the perfect riposte in the fourth minute when he left McShane for dead to head home his side's opening goal.

McShane was at fault for losing Owen, but he could also look askance at his team-mates – for somehow Sunderland's five-man midfield allowed Geremi, in Newcastle's three-man midfield, the space and time to look up, compose himself and drill over a cross which the England striker nodded wide of Craig Gordon's dive to his right.

It has become unusual to see Sunderland's rearguard breached so simply, but this was not the usual rearguard.

The double blow of losing Phil Bardsley (knee) and Jonny Evans (hamstring) to training ground injuries was a huge loss to the side, for those two have been the key in Sunderland's new-found defensive meanness since their arrival in the January transfer window.

Without them, Sunderland's defence looked a different proposition.

McShane, at right-back, had the return game from hell, while centre-back Danny Higginbotham could also be forgiven ring-rustiness after so few first-team opportunities since the turn of the year.

Though they were not at their sharpest defensively, they were no better further up the pitch either, with neither Daryl Murphy nor Carlos Edwards distinguishing themselves on the wings on a day when a string of crosses was kicked harmlessly behind Steve Harper's goal.

Liam Miller was a surprise recall to the side in midfield, but his return did not produce the sparkling performance his manager must have hoped for. He was as guilty of any of his team-mates for the criminal squandering of possession that was to cost Sunderland so dearly.

But, fortunately for Keane's out-of-sorts side, Newcastle themselves were too lacklustre to capitalise.

Sunderland produced as poor a first half as they had all season and threatened little up until the break.

Several times they got the ball into the Newcastle box, but they always looked to over-elaborate rather than go for the killer shot and the opportunity passed.

The only real clear-cut chance they got was when McShane crossed in well from the right, only for Whitehead to sky his shot over Harper's bar at the near post.

And the only time the Newcastle keeper was really tested was in the 39th minute when he made a hopeful long-distance shot from Andy Reid look better than it actually was by fumbling it before gathering it at the second attempt.

Newcastle, by contrast, were being handed opportunities and Gordon was forced to fling himself full-length in the 13th minute to palm an effort from full-back Habib Beye around his right-hand post.

And Danny Collins needed to make a stunning dispossession of his former youth-team colleague Owen in the 22nd minute to deny the striker a shot on goal inside the box.

The offside flag stayed down on an Obafemi Martins' surge down the left just before the half-hour, but the striker's eventual shot was easily saved by Gordon.

Then United had appeals for a penalty turned down when Martins tumbled to the ground in the 36th minute under pressure from McShane, but replays seemed to suggest that the referee was right to wave play on.

Sunderland were simply not at the races, but just when thoughts were turning towards half-time and the difference Keane's team-talk might make, Newcastle scored their second – and crucial goal – and the visitors had no-one to blame but themselves.

Higginbotham was unlucky to go in on a challenge with Owen and see the forward's shot strike his arm which he had unconsciously raised above his head going into the challenge.

But the fact was Sunderland had plenty of chances in the seconds beforehand to clear the danger, only to give Newcastle possession.
Owen made no mistake from the spot, firing home a low shot under the body of Gordon, who dived to his right and made contact but could not stop the ball squeezing under him.

It was a psychologically devastating blow for Sunderland just before half-time and it meant they now had a mountain to climb.

It was a surprise that Sunderland made no changes at the break – so many players had proved ineffective – but their manager gave them a chance to try redeeming themselves.

It looked as though it might happen too – the visitors winning two early corners in quick succession from which Collins had a header blocked at close range and Whitehead saw a shot deflected wide.

At this stage, Newcastle were prepared to sit on their lead and Sunderland were to enjoy the lion's share of possession in the second half but seldom looked threatening.

Keane acted on the hour, finally bringing on Kieran Richardson and going 4-4-2 and Sunderland instantly looked more threatening, Reid lifting a long-range shot just over Harper's bar.

The game opened up a few minutes later when Gordon was forced to make a terrific save from Martins in the 68th minute when the striker played a one-two with Owen before driving his close-range shot into the keeper's chest.

But Harper made an even better stop a few seconds later when he blocked a powerful Jones header low down around his knees from Miller's right-wing cross.

It could hardly be called a pivotal moment because at no stage did Sunderland look like a side which could score two goals on the day.

When Chopra was brought on 10 minutes from time, it was a case of too little too late: Sunderland were a spent force.

Defeat will frustrate Keane – despite most results at the bottom going Sunderland's way at the weekend – because the manager is mindful that his side could still go down.

The smart money is on them staying up.

But even if they do, their fans will go into the close season still smarting from this result.