“Men against boys…” - Alan Shearer delivers brutal Sunderland verdict after FA Cup defeat to Newcastle United | OneFootball

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer joked that Sunderland ‘rolled out the red carpet’ for their bitter rivals as the Magpies won their third round FA Cup tie 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.

Newcastle beat Sunderland in FA Cup clash

There had been a lot of hype and excitement ahead of the Wear-Tyne derby which was played on Saturday, with the Black Cats hoping to extend their unbeaten run in the fixture, even if they knew it would be tough.

However, the Premier League quality of Eddie Howe’s side was on show from the first minute, as Newcastle ran out comfortable winners.

An own goal from Dan Ballard deservedly put the visitors ahead, before two Alexander Isak goals in the second half gave a margin of victory that reflected Newcastle’s dominance on the day.

And, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer explained that it was a relatively easy win for his old club, as he also touched on the supporter talk that dominated the pre-match build-up.

“It was a good day for Newcastle. It was men against boys from start to finish. Sunderland rolled out the red carpet all week for the Geordies, they wanted to make the Stadium of Light feel like home for Newcastle and they certainly did that.

“They allowed 6,000 fans in, and they had a great time, and Newcastle battered Sunderland.”

Alan Shearer couldn’t believe Sunderland’s pre-match actions

The ex-England captain went into further detail on Sunderland’s decision to hand a bigger allocation to their bitter rivals, and he revealed his surprise that they had agreed to allow the Black Cats bar to turn black-and-white, before the decision was reversed late on, prompting an apology from the club.

“Sunderland did that (decorations) themselves. When I saw those pictures, I thought some of the Geordies had broken in and decorated the room that was going to be theirs. But, Sunderland Football Club actually did that themselves. Can you believe that?”

Sunderland must look ahead

This has been a pretty disastrous week or so for Sunderland on and off the pitch.

Some of the decisions made by the board in the build-up were really hard to fathom, from handing Newcastle a bigger allocation to the decorations. It has rightly left the supporters fuming, and it’s going to take a lot of time, if it’s even possible at all, for the owner and key figures to regain the trust of the fans.

On the pitch, Michael Beale didn’t get things right on the day, but the reality is that it was always going to be difficult for Sunderland to compete.

Now, Sunderland must look forward, and they have to remember that there’s still a lot to play for this season, as they sit in the top six and can win promotion.

So, Beale and the players need to focus on football, but this was a tough day for the Wearside outfit, and you can be sure that Newcastle will remind them of it for the years to come.