(59) Armstrong for Gouffran
(75) Cisse for Tiote
(89) Cabella for Ameobi

Altidore
Alvarez
Mannone

Referee: Anthony Taylor - second appointment this season for the Mancunian whistler, following on from the 2-1 victory at Spurs.
 

Attendance: 52,315. Highest of the season. The 2,700 visiting supporters in Level Seven joined in with the home fans to applaud as the clock ticked round to 17 minutes. 

Former players from both sides were in attendance, with Mickey Quinn spotted have a few scoops before the game, resplendent in his black and white scarf. Julio Arca meanwhile revealed himself to have watched from the away section.

Supporters of both clubs, media representatives and other interested parties including ourselves lent their support ahead of this fixture to an initiative labelled as A Derby To Be Proud Of.

Common ground between the two sets of fans emerged last season, when plans to restrict the movement of away fans travelling to St.James' Park for the derby match were scrapped following a public show of unity between supporter groups, fanzines and websites.

That spirit came to the fore again more recently in the wake of MH17, when a memorial fund established by red and whites grew to epic proportions, thanks to donations from across the region and beyond.

Put in stark terms, this wasn't meant to be a love-in, but rather an attempt to preserve what exists: a game that both sets of fans can attend on their own terms without being excluded or priced out of seeing (£47 this year).  

Our motivation is unchanged from 1997 (when away fans were officially banned) that derbies should never again be staged without fans of both clubs officially in attendance and without fear. That remains under threat.

Travel and movement restrictions on away supporters were scrapped after a significant rethink of previous policing policy. Having backed down on plans to impose "bubble match" restrictions before the last meeting of the sides at SJP, the opposite situation applied, with only the club-run, police- escorted bus convoy - and no attempt made to forcing fans on to it 

For clarification, SAFC paid for the buses themselves and didn't take the reputed £30K cost out of their Premier League away fan fund. Fans were transported free of charge (unlike NUFC's forced donation last season) and although advance bookings were taken, any fan in possession of a valid match ticket was able to turn up at the departure point on Sunday and get on a bus.   

No "special" Metro or Northern Rail services ran, with fans instead able to board scheduled services and encouraged to make their own way to the game by different routes ie. from Haymarket etc. 

Gone was the mass escort from the Central station - replaced by a significant police presence on walking routes to the ground as fans arrived on a more piecemeal basis than in previous seasons. It was also noticeable that the previous closure of Barrack Road didn't take place this time round, meaning that there was less of a defined "sterile area" or "no man's land".

Pre-game clashes between rival fans were reported on Westgate Road and near the Strawberry.

The numbers of fans in close proximity after the game made it inevitable that closer policing would be required and this took the form of a hold back followed by a rolling escort of mackems walking back to the Central station.  

Chief Supt Steve Neill:

pre-match:

"The fans want the passion of the derby but some of the things that have happened in previous years now need to be consigned to history. The disorder of 2013 reflected badly on everybody concerned.....we are not going out on some sort of battle footing.

"We feel that by creating a different atmosphere and taking a different approach that actually we’ll see a different type of derby. We have been consulting with the fans groups for a long period of time now about how we police football generally but also about how we police the derby. 

"Everybody agrees that it’s time to try and move on from some of the ugly scenes that we’ve seen previously and have a more mature approach to how we police the derby and the plans reflect that.

"I can reassure the public, Sunderland fans and Newcastle fans that there are more officers on duty than ever for the derby. They'll be at Sunderland, they will be on the Metros, at the Metro Stations and there’ll be a significant police presence in Newcastle. Those officers in Newcastle will be lining the routes from the station up to the ground and also be deployed at key points around the city. 

"So the message to Sunderland fans in come through when you want, we are not dictating how you travel. For those who want to come through on the Metro we are saying, ‘get on at your local station, it’s not a problem at all.' And when you come on speak to the officers and we’ll advise you how to get to the stadium. They are there to reassure you and keep you safe.”

“We have got to factor in that this is not just about football fans on Sunday, this is about 200,000 people coming into the city for shopping. It’s about the transport infrastructure, it’ about the roads, it’s about people coming in to enjoy Christmas pantos or church services so there is a lot going on and it’s important that we set the tone right and it’s important that we try to accommodate everybody’s needs. The plan reflects that.”

post-match:

"I want to thank the public for their patience and cooperation. The vast majority of football fans were well behaved today and the Tyne-Wear derby was celebrated for the fantastic sporting event that it is.

“I’d like to praise supporters from both clubs - they worked well with officers on the ground, were extremely patient and good natured and treated the day in the best spirit.”

A total of 23 arrests for a variety of public order offences were made.