Newcastle United vs. Sunderland: Winners and Losers from Tyne-Wear Derby
Sunderland take the bragging rights in the northeast this week after beating fierce rivals Newcastle United 1-0 at St. James' Park.
A scrappy, ferocious game ended with Adam Johnson's late strike the sole difference, after both sides enjoyed strong yet profligate spells throughout.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Loser: Jack Colback, Who Lost a Derby Against His Former Club
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Jack Colback welcomed his former club to St. James' Park on Sunday, facing them for the first time since leaving them in the summer on a free transfer.
He was an important part of Sunderland's setup under Gus Poyet and he's an integral part of Alan Pardew's now. As the two sides collided, he was always going to be designated a winner or a loser based on his team's display.
His new side lost, his old side won. Colback had a good game individually and played an important part in the Magpies' late dominance, but the look on his face at full-time told the whole story.
Winner: Costel Pantilimon, Who Was Integral to Sunderland's Clean Sheet
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Costel Pantilimon has been magnificent since coming in for Vito Mannone. He's kept four clean sheets in his last six Premier League games and provided a sturdy influence in goal.
His near-perfect display at St. James' Park was simply the latest in a line of good showings, and he pulled off a few wonder saves to ensure the Black Cats weren't buried. Many of his saves were, admittedly, straight at him, but several were exceptional, too.
Loser: Connor Wickham, Who Spurned Chance After Chance
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His misses didn't matter in the end, as Adam Johnson sealed the three-point haul, but Connor Wickham added another chapter to a fairly disappointing season so far.
Playing on the wing is not for him, granted, so Gus Poyet isn't exactly putting the striker in a winning position from the off, but the young Englishman missed a plethora of chances on Sunday, including one header from a yard out.
Blushes spared?
Winner: Adam Johnson, Derby Settler
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Adam Johnson settles northeast derbies. That's basically a fact now.
"Three seasons in a row Adam Johnson has scored at St James' Park. Happy hunting ground.
— Teng Kiat (@tengkiat) December 21, 2014"
Sunderland have won the last four Tyne-Wear derbies in succession, and Johnson has scored in his last three consecutive appearances at St. James' Park. The wild celebrations in the away end and among the red-and-white-striped players on the pitch at full-time were all because of his assured, late finish.
Loser: The Neutrals, Who Were Spared Genuine Quality
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Most heading to work in the Tyne and Wear areas will be set for either excessive gloating and goading, or extreme amounts of stick and punishment—depending on which side you support.
The glee neutral fans can extract from games such as these is significantly less, and when a 90-minute period elapses with very little genuine quality on show—much how this one did—it can be one of football's true anti-climaxes.
Had that Ayoze Perez shot gone in from 25 yards, though, we might be feeling just a little bit different...
Winner: Ayoze Perez, Who Sparkled in a Losing Side
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Ayoze Perez didn't score on Sunday, but his performance throughout was very strong. He came the closest of any Newcastle United player to netting, and his movement throughout was superb.
He's a tricky, slight forward who thrives on running into the channels and harassing defenders on the ball. It looked for a long time as though if the Magpies were to score, it'd be through the Spaniard's good work.
He's been a nice find for Alan Pardew.
