Sunderland not better than Newcastle says Anthony Gordon despite derby defeat | OneFootball

Anthony Gordon (25) says Newcastle United should not be losing to Sunderland, insisting his side are the better team despite another derby defeat.

Newcastle were beaten 2-1 at St James’ Park as Sunderland completed a league double over their rivals, having also won the reverse fixture earlier in the season. It extends Newcastle’s winless run against the Black Cats to 11 league matches, the longest in the history of the fixture.

Gordon scored the opening goal but saw his side fall to a second-half comeback, with goals from Chemsdine Talbi and Brian Brobbey securing victory for Sunderland.

“The frustrating thing is, in my opinion, they’re not a very good team compared to us,” Gordon told Newcastle media, transcribed by BBC Sport. “We shouldn’t lose to them.”

He added that Newcastle’s start to matches has not been the issue, but maintaining performance levels after half-time has been a consistent problem this season. “We were good for 45 minutes, which has been the case too often,” he said. “But we haven’t been good enough starting second halves.”

The defeat leaves Newcastle 12th in the table, one place and one point behind Sunderland, who move above them into 11th.

It is another setback in a difficult run for Newcastle, following their heavy Champions League defeat to Barcelona. Despite having more possession and shots across the season, they have struggled to turn dominance into results.

Newcastle also suffered a blow with defender Sven Botman undergoing surgery on a facial injury, though he is expected to return before the end of the season.

For Gordon and Newcastle, the focus will now be on finding consistency, and ending a long wait for a derby win.

GFN | Finn Entwistle