Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris said his team would keep their feet on the ground despite Sunday’s historic win over Newcastle in the first Premier League Tyne–Wear derby in almost ten years.
The 1-0 triumph against their northeast rivals at the Stadium of Light moved the newly promoted Black Cats up to seventh on the table with 26 points.
The decisive moment came shortly after halftime when Newcastle’s record signing, Nick Woltemade, turned the ball into his own net.
After the final whistle, Sunderland’s players posed for a group photo on the pitch to celebrate the victory, echoing Newcastle’s similar celebration following their 3-0 FA Cup win on Wearside in January last year.
However, Le Bris stressed that the result would not lead to complacency.
“We have to stay smart and respectful. It’s a game and when you win, you’re happy,” he said.
“After that, obviously, we have players who were here for a long time, so they probably know better than the new ones how important this derby is, especially when you lost the previous one.
“Now it’s a question of just being composed. I repeat: you can enjoy and then reset because we have another tough challenge in a week.”
Sunderland controlled possession in the first half and then showed strong defensive discipline as Eddie Howe’s side pushed for an equaliser after conceding.
The last Premier League meeting between the two clubs was in March 2016, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The defeat left Newcastle in 12th place ahead of their League Cup quarter-final clash with Fulham this week. They also remain in the race for automatic qualification to the Champions League last 16.
“We know our performance was below the level we needed, not defensively, where I thought we were solid, but in terms of breaking them down,” Howe said.
“Criticism comes with every defeat, but with this one it will be louder because of how important the game is. We understand that.
“That’s why it hurts so much.”
