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Season 2025-26
mackems (a) Premier League

Date: Sunday 14th December 2025, 2pm
Live on Sky Sports

Venue: stadium of plight

Conditions: Diabolical

Programme: Ł4

mackems		Newcastle
	1 - 0
Half time:	0 - 0

Score Sheet:
(46) og(Woltemade)

	Teams
Roefs Mukiele Ballard Alderete Mandava Xhaka Sadiki Traore Le Fee Talbi Brobbey		Ramsdale Livramento Hall Burn Thiaw L.Miley Guimaraes Tonali Elanga Gordon Woltemade

Substitutes:
(70) Hume for Traore (70) Isidor for Brobbey (83) Mundle for Talbi		Schar for Burn (42) J.Murphy for Elanga (59) Barnes for Gordon (59) Willock for Tonali (59) Wissa for Woltemade (75)
Subs not used
Patterson Adingra Geertruida Mayenda Neil Rigg		Ruddy A.Murphy Ramsey Joelinton

Bookings:
Brobbey Mukiele Mandava Le Fee Isidor		Tonali Guimaraes Willock Thiaw
Dismissals:
None		None

Referee: Peter Bankes - fourth PL appearance this season in charge of the Magpies, following the 0-0 draw at Leeds, 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest and 2-1 win over Fulham. VAR: Stuart Attwell.

Attendance: 47,158 including 2,528 away fans in the upper tier of the North Stand, having made their way there by club buses (Ł5) and also independently after travel restrictions were lifted. Agreement between both clubs and the police saw the allocation for this and the return game reduced to the same figure. That allowed the small front sections of the upper tier here to be left unused - something that will be replicated at SJP. Despite pre-game warnings of that various objects including power banks, vapes and coins would be confiscated upon entry, searches were only intermittent. Some travelling supporters joined in the minute's applause before kick-off for ex-mackem forward Gary Rowell who famously scored a hat-trick at SJP in 1979 and whose death was announced on the eve of the game at the age of 68. Away fans were quickly allowed out of the ground post-match to board buses or join an escort towards St.Peters Metro station. Note use of word visitors - the away team is usually named

Goals

Half time: mackems 0 Magpies 0

46 mins Nick Woltemade headed a right wing cross from right back Nordi Mukiele past his own goalkeeper into the goal at the South end of the ground, via the underside of the crossbar. 0-1

Full time: mackems 1 Magpies 0

We Said

Eddie Howe said:

"That will sting for a long time. We know our performance was off what we needed to to be. Not defensively, we defended well. It was a game of few chances.

"Unfortunately, the one big moment goes against us, it was a bizarre moment. But we weren’t good enough to open them up.

"I am disappointed for the supporters and sorry for our performance, for a lack of goalmouth action and clinical attacking. It certainly wasn’t a lack of effort.

"But the first 60 minutes I don’t think we posed a threat at all. It wasn’t the finest day for any of our front players. The openings were there, with a better decision or pass. The quality was not there in that phase of the game.

"The changes had a positive impact but we didn’t work their goalkeeper anywhere near enough. We didn’t sustain the pressure enough.

"Losing is a horrible feeling and this is painful."

On injury victim Dan Burn:

"(It's) unfortunate for us, we're losing players in one area of the pitch and our back line is stretched.

"We've got a number of absentees and so to lose another one in the colossal presence that Dan is, was a big one today.

"I don't know quite how serious it is. It looks like a rib problem. He's gone to hospital to get them checked. But that was a big blow for us because Dan's been an ever-present player.”

They Said

Regis Le Bris said:

"We will enjoy this result, but I am happy for the players, the club and the fans because they deserve it.

"I understood what this game meant to the people of the community really quickly - it was probably on the first day when I arrived !

"I am happy for the fans because it was an important game for them, and they were part of the process today. It is so enjoyable to feel this energy and support. The players managed the situation properly.

"We stayed focused on our game model and how we wanted to play. The intensity was really important because we knew that it was the key for this game. They are really intense, and we matched them.

"We weren’t too low or too high - we had the right balance. After that, we played our game with the ball. We were composed and really agile and flexible in managing the pressure. The last part was to score, and we need to be a bit more clinical in the final third.

"We move on now, we work hard, and we will see what the future brings. We have had ups and downs, but we always stay connected, and we believe that we have to work hard to be competitive in this league.”

Stats

The 156th competitive Tyne-wear derby saw Newcastle fail to add to their 54 league and cup wins and the mackems secure their 52nd success, with 50 draws. If one takes the view that the League Cup penalty shootout was a red and white victory rather than a draw, it's 53 wins and 49 draws.

The 29th Premier League derby meeting of the two sides saw the mackems sneak ahead with their 10th victory, one ahead of the Magpies on nine. There have been 10 draws.

Today's winning goal was the 423rd in league encounters and took the mackems one ahead, having scored 212 to United's 211. In PL games only, 72 have been scored - 36 in favour of each side.

Newcastle have now failed to win any of the last 10 PL derby fixtures, the longest winless run since the mackems went nine without success between 2000/01 and 2008/09. Regrettably, the red and whites become the first of the two sides to reach 10 league games unbeaten against each other.

It's now 303 minutes since Newcastle last scored a league goal at the stadium of plight, Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye combining for fellow Frenchman Mathieu Debuchy to fire home.

NUFC v SAFC in PL:

2025/26 (a) lost 0-1
2015/16 (h) drew 1-1 Mitrovic
2015/16 (a) lost 0-3
2014/15 (a) lost 0-1
2014/15 (h) lost 0-1
2013/14 (h) lost 0-3
2013/14 (a) lost 1-2 Debuchy
2012/13 (h) lost 0-3
2012/13 (a) drew 1-1 Cabaye
2011/12 (h) drew 1-1 Sh.Ameobi
2011/12 (a) won 1-0 R.Taylor
2010/11 (a) drew 1-1 Nolan
2010/11 (h) won 5-1 Nolan 3, Ameobi 2 (1pen)
2008/09 (h) drew 1-1 Sh.Ameobi (pen)
2008/09 (a) lost 1-2 Sh.Ameobi
2007/08 (h) won 2-0 Owen 2 (1pen)
2007/08 (a) drew 1-1 Milner
2005/06 (a) won 4-1 Chopra, Shearer, N'Zogbia, Luque
2005/06 (h) won 3-2 Sh.Ameobi 2, Emre
2002/03 (a) won 1-0 Solano
2002/03 (h) won 2-0 Bellamy, Shearer
2001/02 (a) won 1-0 Dabizas
2001/02 (h) drew 1-1 Bellamy
2000/01 (a) drew 1-1 A.O'Brien
2000/01 (h) lost 1-2 Speed
1999/00 (a) drew 2-2 Domi, Helder
1999/00 (h) lost 1-2 Dyer
1996/97 (h) drew 1-1 Shearer
1996/97 (a) won 2-1 Beardsley, Ferdinand

Nick Woltemade added an unwanted footnote to club history by scoring only the second Tyne-wear derby own goal in the Premier League. The other was by fellow Magpie Demba Ba in October 2012 - an unfortunate late equaliser from close in at the other end of this place.

Woltemade's effort was the eighth officially recorded in a Tyne-wear derby and leaves the running total at three by NUFC players at the wrong end and five by opposition players - the latter including two OGs in the same game.

1900/01 (a) safc scored one og
1904/05 (a) nufc scored one og
1914/15 (h) safc scored two ogs
1928/29 (h) safc scored one og
1952/53 (h) safc scored one og
2012/13 (a) nufc scored one og
2025/26 (a) nufc scored one og

Following the one accredited to Bruno Guimaraes against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, Woltemade's mishap saw Newcastle players register own goals in consecutive competitive senior games.

That's unusual, but not unique: similar misfortune befell United during December 2006, when Steven Taylor put the ball into his own net against Spurs at SJP and Peter Ramage repeated the feat away to Bolton Wanderers in the next game (both in the PL).

Jacob Murphy's appearance was his 100th as a substitute for the Magpies and 84th in the Premier League. The remainder were League Cup (seven), Champions League (five) and FA Cup (four). He's still some distance off Shola Ameobi however, who was brought on no less than 178 times.

Waffle

Sunday saw Newcastle's Nick Woltemade inadvertently become the most expensive scorer in mackem history, triggering unprecedented levels of schadenfreude on wearside and simultaneously confirming the worst fears of many visiting fans, who had trekked here with anything but optimism.

"No noise from the Saudi boys" went the chant from delirious home followers, but it was an absence of poise that was only-too evident from the blue-clad Magpies - along with that all-purpose derby requisite, passion. Whatever it was that was needed, they didn't possess.

Even by the low standards of the fixture, this was an atrocious game of football: won by one of the more bizarre own goals we've had the misfortune to witness. That it was the second those in the upper tier of the North Stand had seen this week underlined the ongoing bizarreness of the season.

Anything can happen when this Newcastle team takes to the field away from home - and it's now routinely unpalatable for those who follow them. Decisively defeating Championship opposition here less than two years before in the FA Cup, this next visit came against a mackem side unbeaten in Premier League home games this season and sitting above Newcastle in the table.

That altered status looked to have been reflected in a visiting side set up for a 0-0 draw (or even sneaking a win thanks to some timely substitutions) and the major incident of an otherwise tedious opening period saw Dan Burn replaced after an apparently deliberate knee in the chest as he and home defender Nordi Mukiele both went to ground just inside the Newcastle half.

The assailant saw only yellow instead of red, but Burn only fleetingly continued after treatment and soon left the field for a hospital assessment of rib damage after reporting breathing difficulties.

Scoreless at the break, the 156th Tyne-wear derby soon took a faintly surreal turn as Woltemade planted a firm header past Aaron Ramsdale 59 seconds after the restart - even quicker than Nick Pope's costly rick after the restart in Marseille.

Quite what the German was attempting is anyone's guess as he met a cross from the right unopposed in his own area. A deft flick would have taken it away from danger and firmer contact could have conceded a corner, but instead a perfectly-executed header left Ramsdale completely stranded.

In the game of ifs and buts, the own goal provider may not have occupied the exact area of his own box had Burn by then not been sampling the back of an ambulance.

It's unfair to rest the blame for the defeat on his shoulders - at least for his misguided attempt at defending, although the forward area is a different matter - with a full supporting cast of co-conspirators to share responsibility.

Wide pair Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga were at their worst, both dribbling the ball out of play to the home fans' merriment. Their joint reluctance to take on opponents and try to draw fouls was as frustrating as surrendering possession; continually turning back for an unthreatening pass.

Others severely denting their reputations included Sandro Tonali who was withdrawn looking less than match fit and the goalscorer, who made way for Yoane Wissa in a like-for-like switch that was utterly futile, although the number nine almost stole a point when a deflected cross dropped ahead of him.

Fellow substitutes Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes also contributed very little in the final half hour, Joe Willock's hopeless shank into the stand in the closing seconds when speaking volumes. If Jacob Ramsey cannot find a place in this team, just how rotten must he be?

The hosts comfortably absorbed minimal pressure, aided by their own deliberate method of running down the clock by ensuring multiple balls were on the field whenever there was a break in play. It only ever looked like not being 1-0 in their cup final when Ramsdale denied Wilson Isidore late on.

The only fight shown by United until the final seconds had come from Joelinton warming up on the touchline and urging his onfield colleagues on to greater efforts. We'd naively thought that his omission from the starting line-up would help United to keep their composure (and 11 men on the field) as the over-hyped hosts burnt themselves out, but the reality proved to be the case.

The meek may well inherit the earth but securing derby day bragging rights requires rather stouter hearts than this. An apology of a performance came from a side that seemingly didn't want to be there and had absolutely no game plan. Timid or intimidated, the outcome was the same.

That fight finally arrived in the final seconds as both sides squared up to each other in the wake of Willock's nothing challenge on Robin Roefs. Willock, Bruno Guimaraes and Malick Thiaw and Isidor were cautioned, Granit Xhaka needed treatment for a cut eye and Fabian Schar sought out Roefs before moving on to anyone else in his path. Pathetic, performative nonsense.

And so ended our worst derby display in living memory - in the immediate aftermath we compared it to the playoff second leg. As unpalatable as it was unfathomable and summed up by the way it was lost - a joke goal topping a joke display, defeated by the most ordinary of opponents and raising questions about the effectiveness of Eddie Howe and the recruitment he sanctioned last summer.

We may well have other fish to fry this season, but today wasn't about European advancement or trophy defence. Despite the pre-game rhetoric from his players, the manager and his staff singularly failed to organise or inspire them. They had one job - and utterly failed to do it.

Biffa

Page last updated 16 December, 2025