Newcastle United: Top 5 moments of the decade
By Durim Halimi
#3. Newcastle United 5-1 Sunderland
Scoring five goals in a game is an achievement for any team, but when the opponent is your historic rival it makes it all the more precious and impressive. On October 31, 2010, Newcastle United hosted Sunderland at St. James’ Park for what was expected to be an intense battle between the Magpies and Black Cats.
The game itself was intense, but it was far from competitive as Newcastle United dominated Sunderland from start to finish. It all started in the 26th minute when Kevin Nolan scored his first of three goals on the afternoon. It only took Nolan eight minutes to extend the Magpies’ lead to 2-0 before Shola Ameobi’s penalty in stoppage time before the break made it 3-0.
Ameobi got on the score sheet once more to claim his brace in the 70th minute and made it 4-0 for the Toon. It only got worse for Sunderland five minutes after that when Noloan completed his hat-trick and made it 5-0. The only good thing Sunderland did that afternoon was ruin the Magpies’ clean sheet with a last-minute goal from Darren Bent to make it 5-1.
The Tyne-Wear Derby hasn’t gone the way we wanted in recent years, but this victory is one fans can look back on with pride. The margin of victory is one thing, but seeing Newcastle United play with such urgency and commitment on both ends of the pitch against Sunderland is what made this derby win so special.