Gus Poyet admitted he was seconds away from substituting Adam Johnson during the second half of Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park but underwent a last-ditch change of heart and watched the winger score the 90th-minute winner.
“I have to be honest, I was going to take Adam off but, for some reason, I didn’t and he went on to score the winning goal,” said Sunderland’s manager. His side’s 1-0 victory was their fourth in a row against Newcastle and third in succession on Tyneside but the Uruguayan acknowledged it could have been very different had he followed his initial 81st-minute instinct. “We had Adam’s number ready on the board for it to go up,” he said. “Then I said to my bench: ‘No, make it No10. Make it Connor [Wickham] instead.’”
Johnson’s subsequent goal means the former England winger has scored in each of his team’s victories at St James’ Park. “Three years in a row,” said Johnson. “They must hate me here.”
On an afternoon notable for the sort of off-pitch peace and understanding which in recent seasons has been conspicuously absent from often violent north-east derbies both sets of supporters paid tribute to the Newcastle fans who died in July’s flight MH17 tragedy over eastern Ukraine. Pardew praised the attitude of Sunderland supporters but was left “hurt” by becoming the first Newcastle manager to lose four successive derbies and also suffering his fifth defeat against Poyet’s teams, with the first two being inflicted by Brighton in the FA Cup.
Sunderland’s manager was more concerned about his successes with his new employers. “It’s a special moment for us,” he said. “It’s great. It will make a very special Christmas. I think we were better in terms of creating clear-cut chances.”
He accepted that Pardew’s decision to throw caution to the wind and opt for a late attacking onslaught played into his hands, prompting Johnson’s winner on the counterattack. “Alan put on all his strikers,” said Poyet, for whom this was only a third Premier League victory of the season. “It was a very, very brave move and it nearly paid off but in almost one action Costel Pantilimon saved in the top corner and then Adam scored.”
After this Pardew could probably do without a Boxing Day trip to Manchester United. “It’s painful,” he said. “After a first half in which we got wrapped up in emotion and gave too many fouls away we started to create chances and gave them problems. But then we over-committed.”
Not that he was apologising for such attacking substitutions. “This club wants to see goals,” he said. “I’m never going to be manager of Newcastle United and accept a home draw as a positive result, whoever the opposition is. I still expected my defenders to do their job but I’m not going to criticise anyone.
“We tried to win the game. If we’re ever going to lose, I want us to lose in this manner.
“ There were great performances from both teams, it was one of the better derbies. My players have given everything but sometimes you don’t get your just rewards. To a great extent it was a really good performance but it wasn’t our day. To lose is very disappointing but we’re still in a healthy place in the league and we have to build on it. It hurts but we have to lick our wounds and prepare for Manchester United.”
If Sir Bobby Robson was looking down on St James’ from above, the former Newcastle manager will not have been surprised. Poyet’s habit of scoring vital goals against the Tynesiders for both Chelsea and Tottenham prompted Robson to dub him “the scourge of Newcastle”.
Even Sunderland’s coach seems perplexed by this extraordinary effect. “I don’t know why,” he said. “I can’t explain it. It’s unexplainable.”
