Sunderland claimed local bragging rights over Newcastle United with a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light, as Nick Woltemade's own goal settled a tense Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday.
The German striker headed in at the wrong end early in the second half, before the hosts held out for a fourth successive home league victory over their great rivals.
A game short in attacking quality was decided just 59 seconds after the break, with Sunderland taking the lead as Woltemade inadvertently diverted beyond Aaron Ramsdale from a Nordi Mukiele cross.
Nick Woltemade (No 27) reacts to his own goal as Dan Ballard celebrates
Newcastle were unable to generate a response, and tensions briefly spilled over in the closing stages, as the Magpies' wait for a league win over the Black Cats extended to 10 matches.
Regis Le Bris’ side consequently climbed to seventh place and moved four points clear of their north-east rivals, who remain 12th.
How the match unfolded
Both sides struggled to settle during the early stages of the Premier League's first Tyne-Wear derby in just under 10 years.
It was not until the 22nd minute that the first shot was registered, with Enzo Le Fee having an attempt blocked, and Granit Xhaka firing over from distance.
Newcastle were forced into a premature substitution, as Dan Burn limped off in the 41st minute, and his height was missed when Sunderland centre-back Dan Ballard outjumped Tino Livramento to head over just before half-time.
However, the breakthrough arrived in bizarre fashion just 59 seconds into the second half, with Woltemade unwittingly diverting Mukiele's right-wing cross in via the underside of the crossbar.
Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor called Ramsdale into action from a tight angle while, at the other end, Newcastle sub Yoane Wissa was just unable to connect with Jacob Murphy’s cross.
However, that was as close as the visitors came to getting back on level terms and the hosts held on, despite unsavoury scenes in stoppage time that led to yellow cards being shown to four players - Isidor of Sunderland and Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes, Malick Thaw and Joe Willock.
Luck is in as Black Cats celebrate derby delight
Sunderland have beaten Newcastle in four successive home league meetings for the first time in their history. They have also officially levelled the head-to-head record, matching their rivals on 54 wins from their 158 showdowns.
Despite just one win from their previous six Premier League games, the Black Cats were protecting their unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light, while they had not lost to the Magpies in the top flight since Ryan Taylor's free-kick settled the derby in August 2011.
The likes of Kevin Phillips, Niall Quinn, Kieran Richardson, Fabio Borini and Jermain Defoe have written their names into Tyne-Wear derby folklore during the Premier League era. As far as Sunderland are concerned, Woltemade will hold the same status after his bizarre own goal proved the difference.
In truth, there was little to separate the two teams, with Sunderland registering just one shot on target to Newcastle's two.
But Le Bris' side were resilient in defence to comfortably keep Newcastle at bay, and the nature of the winning goal will not matter at all to a buoyant fanbase, who were celebrating long after the final whistle brought an almighty roar at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland will have their sights set on a completing a third Premier League double over their rivals when they reconvene in March. There is plenty to navigate before then, though, and the Black Cats will first look to build on their momentum when they visit Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Derby hoodoo continues for limp Magpies
Newcastle's wait for derby-day delight extends into double figures when it comes to matches. Overall, they did not look like ending it today, with Eddie Howe's side lacking a cutting edge throughout the contest.
There were three local lads in Newcastle's starting XI, with 19-year-old Lewis Miley becoming the youngest player to start a Tyne-Wear derby in the Premier League since Charles N'Zogbia 20 years earlier.
Another one of them, Blyth-born Burn, was forced off before half-time. Woltemade will have been covering for that loss in height at defensive set-pieces when his attempted headed clearance flew past Ramsdale shortly after the restart.
There was no way back for the visitors, despite Howe introducing the likes of Wissa, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy.
The Magpies will be bitterly disappointed not to have produced a better performance in their first Premier League match at the Stadium of Light in 10 years, as the drought goes on.
Newcastle cannot leave their heads hanging for too long, though. Their EFL Cup defence continues against Fulham in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, before they welcome Chelsea to St James' Park in the league three days later.
Club reports
Sunderland report | Newcastle report
What the managers said
Regis Le Bris: "We will enjoy this result, but I am happy for the players, the club and the fans because they deserve it. I understood what this game meant to the people of the community really quickly - it was probably on the first day when I arrived!
“I am happy for the fans because it was an important game for them, and they were part of the process today. The players managed the situation properly. We stayed focused on our game model and how we wanted to play."
Eddie Howe: "It's a huge disappointment for us in terms of the result and the performance really. I don't think we ever truly got going from an attacking sense. It was a game that lacked real chances for both teams, there wasn't a lot of classic goalmouth action. We're disappointed with our output and we know we need to do better.
"It was [a bit of a freak goal] and it was possibly going to be decided like that because there were so few chances. Unfortunately Nick [Woltemade] has put one in his own goal, it happens, but he's gone towards the ball with good intentions."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Sunderland are unbeaten in their last 10 league games against Newcastle (W7 D3); only the second time in the league history of this fixture that one side has gone 10+ without defeat, after a 10-game run for Newcastle between 1985 and 1997.
This game had the fewest shots (11) and lowest Expected Goals (xG) total (0.53) of any Premier League match this season. Indeed, the 11 shots were the fewest in a single game in the competition since March 2023 (Aston Villa 1-0 Crystal Palace).
Sunderland have won 26 points in 16 games in the Premier League this season; their most at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 2000/01 (also 26), when they went on to finish seventh.
Newcastle haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last nine games in the Premier League, equalling their longest run without one in the competition under Howe (nine between both December 2023-February 2024 and April-May 2023).
Newcastle’s own goal today was the fourth scored this weekend in the Premier League (Woltemade, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Sam Johnstone and Yerson Mosquera); the most in a single Matchweek since Matchweek 35 of the 2023/24 campaign (four).
None of Sunderland's 11 starters in this match were English players - the first time a team haven't had any English players in their starting XI for a Premier League fixture between these two sides (Sunderland and Newcastle).