Sunderland 1 Newcastle 4 and Alan Shearer’s very final match – 18 years ago today | OneFootball

It is exactly 18 years to the day since the final scoreline read Sunderland 1 Newcastle 4.

Quite incredible that it is fully eighteen years since Alan Shearer’s very final match.

The 17 April 2006 saw Shearer score in that last ever game, before then forced off with the injury that would prematurely end his career. Although only three Premier League matches of that season remained.

The full game can be watched below but if you are up for watching more than just the goals maybe give the first hour a miss.

A very poor first half saw Hoyte give the mackems a 1-0 lead and then out of nowhere Sunderland just collapsed.

It was very funny as in the space of 60 seconds the Mackems lost the plot, Michael Chopra coming off the bench and just 12 seconds later I think it was, he was gifted the equaliser.

Within a minute Alan Shearer had added a penalty, before then Charlie N’Zogbia (Insomnia according to JFK…) made it 3-1 with a third NUFC goal in seven minutes.

Then as the song goes, Albert Luque ‘wrapped it up’ with 87 minutes on the clock.

That season saw a remarkable turnaround after Graeme Souness was belatedly sacked, Glenn Roeder put in temporary charge with Shearer combining playing with a role acting as Roeder’s assistant.

Only seven wins in 23 Premier League games that season under Souness but then 10 victories in 15 under Roeder and Shearer, taking Newcastle to seventh.

To go straight to the goals:

124.20 – Michael Chopra

126.30 – Alan Shearer

131.18 – Charlie Insomnia

152.10 – Albert Luque wraps it up

The last truly happy season (at least until the October 2021 takeover anyway…) for me as a Newcastle United fan, well, once Graeme Souness had gone anyway (Yes the 2011/12 fifth place finish was an adventure BUT with Mike Ashley and Alan Pardew we always knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere).

Newcastle had beaten Sunderland earlier in the season 3-2, two from Shola and that class Emre free-kick to win it.

Newcastle United ended the season with 58 points in seventh spot, Sunderland rock bottom of the Premier League with only 15 points and three wins all season.

Happy days.

Whilst the Mackems embarrassingly celebrated the fact that one of their players caused the final injury of his career, in reality it only made it even more special, Alan Shearer scoring his 206th and final Premier League goal, indeed the final goal of any description in his career, on Wearside, hammering Sunderland 4-1 in front of their own fans.