Newcastle captain Bruno Guimarães condemned the defeat to Sunderland, calling it “unacceptable” and “embarrassing”.
Newcastle lost 1-0, extending their winless run against their nearest rivals in the Premier League to 10 games, their worst game of the season.
The visitors had just two shots on target and an xG of 0.25.
“We didn’t perform as well as we could have,” Bruno told Sky Sports. “I’m frustrated and angry. Our performance wasn’t good enough today. There were no shots, no crosses, no passes.
“It’s very frustrating to come here today, but it’s hard to accept so it’s understandable that the fans are frustrated.
“Everyone came here and knew exactly what it meant to the fans. The message in the locker room was all, ‘Give it to the fans,’ and we didn’t. It’s so embarrassing.”
“I’m very angry with the performance. We were inconsistent. There was no consistency there, there was a lack of mentality.”
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe added: “It’s going to be a pain for a long time.” “Our performance was not what we needed. Not from a defensive standpoint, but we defended pretty well, but the only big moment went against us.
“Every defeat comes with criticism, but this one will be louder and stronger because of the importance of the game. That’s why it hurts so much, I’m so sorry for the supporters and I’m sorry for the performance in terms of the lack of goalmouth action and clinical attacking that we’ve been so proud of over the last few seasons.”
“You never want to define a season by one game, but if anything you want to define it in a positive way and show your class. I think it’s been a stop-start season for us. We’re trying to get the momentum we want but we haven’t quite captured it.”
Carla: Newcastle were playing with fear
Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports:
“I think there was some fear from Newcastle going into this game.
“That affected the performance. When Eddie Howe spoke after the game, he apologized for the lack of creativity in the attacking performance. There was a concern on the Newcastle side that they didn’t want to lose the game, but they didn’t want to go for the win.”
“For the second summer in a row he didn’t get much help. It’s a really worrying result and the way they lost. That’s not what you associate with Eddie Howe’s Newcastle team. Maybe his Bournemouth team could chase them. Newcastle are a huge club with big ambitions. Howe has done a great job but I don’t think he could have done more.”
“But once you win trophies and you get the Champions League, the next stage is to challenge for the league title. But Howe has not been helped by the lack of leadership at the top of the club. It feels like Howe is the chief executive, the director of football, involved in transfers. He has been let down by Newcastle.”
Ballard: Takes revenge photo after FA Cup defeat
Sunderland man of the match Dan Ballard said the “hurt” of being photographed in front of Newcastle’s away end after Newcastle’s previous win at the Stadium of Light in January 2024 prompted the hosts’ revenge mission this time.
The Black Cats team came together as one after defeating their toughest rival. It ironically mirrors what Eddie Howe’s side did after winning the FA Cup at Wearside almost two years ago.
After the match, Ballard told Sky Sports: “That hurt last time. A lot of the players wanted to do it, but that’s the way it is. The most important thing was the three points and today’s win.”
On that day, Newcastle won 3-0 thanks to Ballard’s own goal, and he said, “I can’t express it in words. When I think back to the last game, it hurt so bad.”
“For the players and for the fans, we felt like we let them down. We were very determined this time, especially the players who were there that day and had the experience.
“We were better prepared for today, the quality of our team has improved, and we came into the game with strong leaders.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but we persevered and deserved the win.”





