Newcastle United's under-21s secured a 3-2 victory over Sunderland in a feisty Premier League 2 derby at St James' Park, with head coach Matthias Jaissle watching from the stands.
Jaissle took his seat in the hospitality area alongside sporting director Ross Wilson and PIF chief and Newcastle director Jacobo Solis, getting a glimpse of what to expect when Sunderland visit in December for his first derby as manager.
The 5,100 fans in attendance from both clubs created a lively atmosphere, providing a valuable experience for Robbie Stockdale's side, who played at the home of the first team for the first time since April 2025.
Goals and Key Performances
Goals from Kyran Thompson, Park Seung-soo, and Vakhtang Salia cancelled out strikes from Trey Ogunsuyi and Felix Scott as the young Magpies edged out their rivals under the St James' Park lights.
Newcastle's front four were lively throughout the first half, with Johnny Emerson hitting the post and Thompson, Matheos Ferreira, and Afner Ca all going close. Sunderland goalkeeper Isaac Allan kept his side in the contest with several saves.
Ca, a 19-year-old who joined on a free transfer from Levante and has trained with the first team recently, caused constant problems for the Sunderland defence.
Youngsters Impress
After Ogunsuyi headed Sunderland into a first-half lead against the run of play, two other youngsters involved with the first team combined to level. Sixteen-year-old goalkeeper Roman Dowell made a stunning save from point-blank range to prevent Ben Lindon's header from doubling Sunderland's lead, providing the springboard for Thompson to race clear and score.
Scott put Sunderland back in front with a fierce left-footed drive before Seung-soo, introduced as a second-half substitute, cut inside and rifled a right-footed effort into the top corner to level the scores. The South Korean under-23 international, who joined from Suwon Bluewings and was named on the bench under Eddie Howe twice last term, sent a statement Jaissle could not ignore.
Late Winner and Victory
With five minutes remaining, Salia bagged his fifth goal of the season, heading Kyle Fitzgerald's cross beyond Allan to give Newcastle an 85th-minute lead.
Handbags broke out in stoppage time as Park picked up a yellow card for his part in the melee, much to the delight of the crowd. Newcastle saw out their first PL2 win of the season to pick up three points and local bragging rights.
