Exclusive:'Spectacular' - Gus Poyet explains what impressed him most about 'magnificent' Sunderland win over Newcastle United
Sunderland beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St. James’ Park on Sunday afternoon.
Ex-Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has lavished praise on the Black Cats for their proactive approach during Sunday’s late 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Newcastle United.
Regis Le Bris’ men fell behind in the 10th minute at St. James’ Park following a costly defensive error from Luke O’Nien, but managed to keep their hosts at bay until the interval, and came out for the second half looking much-improved.
From there, Sunderland would be rewarded for their efforts with goals from Chemsdine Talbi and Brian Brobbey, with the powerful Dutchman sealing a famous three points for his side courtesy of a 90th minute winner in front of a jubilant away end.
And reflecting on the Black Cats’ showing on Tyneside, Poyet hailed Le Bris’ team for the manner in which they played their way back into contention following a difficult start to proceedings.
What did Gus Poyet say about Sunderland’s win over Newcastle United?
Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of Betwright football betting, the popular Uruguayan said: “Sunderland’s performance, I think it was difficult in the beginning. I was expecting that as a coach, because of what happened during the week with Newcastle [ a 7-2 Champions League defeat against Barcelona on Wednesday evening].
“But after the game settled down, after a few chances, the key was not conceding the second goal. And then I really, really liked the second half. I think the second half performance, away from home, derby, losing 1-0, is very, very good. And to go and win it at the end, it shows the mentality of the team to go there and play.
“Because I can tell people that more than 50% of teams playing a derby away from home, going 1-0 down and getting the equaliser, maybe you settle and say, ‘Okay, I take the point’. I don't think at any stage that was the case. And at the end it was spectacular, it was magnificent.”
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What did Regis Le Bris say about Sunderland’s late victory over Newcastle United?
For his part, Sunderland head coach Le Bris also expressed his delight at the way his side fought back on Tyneside. Addressing the media after the final whistle, he said: “Big achievement, winning two derbies in the same year, it means a lot for us, it means a lot for the group and the quality we showed. This game was tough, as expected, because we know that Newcastle has this ability to go strong, especially during the first half, to generate momentum.
“The crowd as well, they were intense - we conceded the goal, our mistake, which can happen. The team reacted well, it was important to stay 1-0, to have the ability to realign the team during the half-time. It was okay, and we showed what we wanted to show during the second half.”