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| Dan Ballard of Sunderland fouls Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United for a penalty during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Sunderland and Newcastle United at Stadium of Light on January 06, 2024 in Sunderland, England. |
Newcastle made comfortable work of rivals Sunderland in the Wear-Tyne derby at the Stadium of Light to book their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Magpies piled on the pressure from the outset and eventually found the breakthrough 10 minutes before half time when Sunderland defender Dan Ballard sliced Joelinton's cross into the back of his own net.
It took less than a minute after the restart for Newcastle to take full control of the first Wear-Tyne derby since 2016 when Miguel Almiron robbed the ball from Pierre Ekwah before squaring for Alexander Isak to convert into an open net.
Isak grabbed his second from the penalty spot in the final minute after Anthony Gordon had been brought down in the box by Ballard.
Championship side Sunderland registered just one shot and had only 28% possession as they struggled against their Premier League visitors in the opening 45 minutes, but they did improve in the second period and tested goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on several occasions.
Ekwah and Alex Pritchard were both denied by impressive saves from the Slovakia international to ensure Newcastle recorded their first win at the Stadium of Light since 2011.
Pritchard also saw an effort crash off the crossbar as Sunderland threw everything at their rivals in the hope of finding a route back into the encounter, but their efforts proved to be in vain.
Newcastle closed out the tie in composed fashion, stroking the ball around the field at the Stadium of Light to chants of "ole" from their boisterous six thousand-strong travelling support.
The only downside to Newcastle's triumph was an injury picked up by midfielder Joelinton late in the first half. The Brazilian did re-emerge for the second period but was substituted after just two minutes as he struggled to shake off the issue.
It is Eddie Howe's first victory in the FA Cup since taking charge of Newcastle in November 2021, having lost in the third round against Cambridge and Sheffield Wednesday in each of the past two seasons.
The victory also ends a run of four defeats across all competitions for the Magpies.
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