Brobbey strikes late to seal dramatic Sunderland victory over Newcastle

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Sunderland snatched a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United with a goal in the dying seconds of regulation time on Saturday in the English Premier League.

Brian Brobbey’s 90th-minute tap-in completed a stunning second-half comeback for the Black Cats, leaving a capacity crowd of 52,253 at St. James’ Park in stunned silence.

Newcastle started the match with the intent of a side looking to cement their dominance in the North East.

The pressure told as early as the 10th minute. A defensive lapse in the Sunderland backline gifted the ball to Anthony Gordon, who showed clinical composure to roll the ball home from close range.

For much of the first half, Eddie Howe’s men looked in control, boasting 66% possession in the opening twenty minutes. They nearly doubled their lead in the 43rd minute when Sven Botman rose highest to meet a Kieran Trippier cross, only to see his header crash against the right post.

The momentum began to shift early in the second half, compounded by a worrying injury to Newcastle’s defensive anchor. Sven Botman was forced off in the 54th minute following a collision that appeared to leave him concussed, replaced by Malick Thiaw.

Sunderland seized the opportunity just three minutes later. After a chaotic goalmouth scramble, the ball fell to Chemsdine Talbi, who made no mistake from close range to level the score at 1-1 in the 57th minute.

Newcastle thought they had reclaimed the lead in the 75th minute when Thiaw bundled the ball into the net, but referee Anthony Taylor immediately ruled it out for a foul, sparking furious protests from the home side.

As the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, the game turned into a frantic end-to-end battle. Gordon twice came agonizingly close to a winner, firing two long-range rockets that whistled just inches over the crossbar.

However, it was Sunderland who found the decisive blow. In the 90th minute, Aaron Ramsdale produced what looked to be the save of the match to deny Brobbey. But the Newcastle defense failed to react to the rebound, allowing Brobbey to react first and tap the ball over the line from point-blank range.

The celebrations were marred by a flurry of late cards as tensions boiled over. Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki, Lutsharel Geertruida, and Reinildo Mandava were all booked in a frantic seven minutes of stoppage time as they fought to preserve their lead.