"SUNDERLAND, England -- It was, without a doubt, the longest postmatch celebration of the season. Sunderland players were still on the field 10 minutes after the final whistle: Granit Xhaka blowing kisses, Noah Sadiki wandering in front of the goal mouth with his arms held out like airplane wings, Luke O'Nien at the center of a rousing rendition of "Can't Help Falling in Love." The team gathered for an impromptu photo, infuriating Newcastle's supporters and delighting their own."
"Still, the real marvel, as anyone who watched the hugely successful "Sunderland 'Til I Die" series on Netflix will understand, is that a derby against Newcastle in the Premier League could happen at all. When Sunderland, one of England's biggest and most historic clubs, fell into the Championship in 2017, a quick return to the Premier League seemed inevitable. Instead, they were relegated into League One as the cameras rolled."
Sunderland celebrated a 1-0 victory over Newcastle in the first Premier League derby between the rivals in nearly a decade, with prolonged on-field celebrations and singing. The win, sealed in an uneven match featuring few shots and an own goal, all but ensures another pair of fierce fixtures next season. The result is framed against a recent history of decline: relegation from the Premier League in 2017 followed by a fall to League One and publicized internal dysfunction and despair captured in the Netflix series Sunderland 'Til I Die. The derby victory symbolizes a dramatic club revival and local joy.
Read at ESPN.com
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