Newcastle 0 Sunderland 3: Three talking points

Newcastle pay the penalty

Sunderland took the lead through a penalty and Newcastle were denied one in the second half, two decisions which influenced the outcome of the game. Sunderland’s spot-kick came in the 19th minute when Adam Johnson chipped the ball between Davide Santon and Sammy Ameobi. Phil Bardsley picked it up and knocked it forward before an unwise challenge by Vurnon Anita brought down the Sunderland right-back. Referee Phil Dowd was left with little choice and pointed to the spot before Fabio Borini stepped up brilliantly under pressure, powering the ball high into the top left-hand corner to give Sunderland the lead. Newcastle had a strong appeal in the second-half when Shola Ameobi fell under the challenge of Liam Bridcutt but Dowd waved away the protests and Sunderland went on to score once more. On another day, a referee may have pointed to the spot but in truth, to say this decision influenced the game would be a disservice to the way in which Sunderland approached the game . They outplayed, outfought and outthought the Magpies on the way to a third successive derby win, a feat not achieved since 1923.

Unstoppable Johnson

Gus Poyet walked into a side that seemed destined for relegation but he has turned it around and a large part is down to how he has got Johnson performing. Johnson was seen as a winger with huge potential but inconsistency meant he was not able to reach heights that were expected of him. Poyet must take some credit for the turnaround and Johnson’s fantastic spell continued with another brilliant performance at St James’ Park. He had a part to play in the lead-up to the penalty, linking up well with Bardsley before the latter was clumsily brought down by Anita. Johnson was on the score sheet four minutes later, his sixth strike in four games, when he tapped in after good work from Jozy Altidore and Jack Colback. A moment of individual brilliance in the second-half nearly brought Johnson his second goal of the afternoon and he may now be gaining serious attention from Roy Hodgson ahead of the World Cup in Brazil.

Life without Cabaye

Newcastle started life without Yohan Cabaye and it did not look very promising in a creative sense for the Magpies. They managed 28 shots on Sunderland’s goal and 10 were on target, but most of those were attempts from long-range and didn’t trouble Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone. Coming into this game, Newcastle were 16 points better off than Alan Pardew’s men were at the same stage last season but now have one win in the last seven games and have not scored in five of the last six. The more worrying news is that Newcastle have only won four of 21 Premier League games when they have been without Cabaye. Against Sunderland, they looked out of ideas around the 18-yard area and as a result, real chances for the Magpies were few and far between. Alan Pardew gave Hatem Ben Arfa the attacking role behind Ameobi but their results were not great and Newcastle’s manager has some thinking to do with regards to navigating his side through the rest of the campaign.