Sunderland got one over Newcastle United at the weekend. Well, they got another one over Newcastle, in any case.

Yes, the Black Cats have recorded a Tyne-Wear derby double over their bitter rivals on their return to the Premier League, and the victory at St. James’ Park was doubly sweet in more ways than one: Regis Le Bris‘s side have now overtaken Eddie Howe’s and claimed 11th place in the standings.

Sunderland need six points from seven games to eclipse their record points total of 48 in the modern Premier League, and it’s a testament to their quality and understanding of the system that relegation has never felt on the cards throughout the campaign.

Anthony Gordon can make snide comments all he wants, but the fact is that this is a special group of footballers.

Gordon opened the scoring on Tyneside last weekend, but he ended up on the losing side. His bitterness at the defeat after being dispatched from the Champions League by Barcelona.

That was a chastening defeat, but Sunderland stole the spoils in their own backyard. And that one may sting even more, especially when considering the England international’s post-match comments,

“The frustrating thing is, in my opinion, they’re not a very good team compared to us. We shouldn’t lose to them,” Gordon said after the game.

Gordon’s viewpoint fails to consider one thing: unity. Le Bris has created a balanced and harmonic team, led by Granit Xhaka and stoppered by Robin Roefs between the sticks and spearheaded by a force of nature in Brian Brobbey.

The Magpies have a more expensive team. They have a team who have won silverware and played multiple campaigns in the Champions League over the past few years.

But that doesn’t for one second mean they have a better team. Gordon, for example, is valued at £100m, with the likes of Liverpool taking an interest since he moved to St. James’ Park, but Sunderland, while a young team, have a good team, alright, and they might even have their own version of the dynamic forward.

Sunderland already have their own Gordon

Sunderland have gone from strength to strength in Le Bris’s system, the Frenchman taking them up to the Premier League and establishing them as a competitive outfit pushing for a ticket into Europe (though that’s albeit unlikely).

While there was a vastness to Sunderland’s summer transfer plans, it wasn’t a scattergun approach, and the recruits brought to the Stadium of Light have all played their part.

Chemsdine Talbi has not been at the top of that list, but the 20-year-old winger is starting to come into his own and make more of an impact in the Premier League, and journalist Phil Smith has remarked that he has “really grown into the Sunderland shirt“.

Of course, Talbi arrived from Club Brugge for a sizeable £20m fee, but he’s only scored four goals so far, assisting two more besides.

There’s no question that Talbi needs to do more, both on and off the ball, but he’s an electric, front-footed winger who could actually come to pass as Sunderland’s own version of Gordon, sharing technical properties with the Three Lions and a similarity in starting slow at the club.

Gordon joined Newcastle from Everton for £45m in January 2023, but that big price tag failed to pay off initially, scoring just once across his debut half-season in the north east.

But Gordon’s quality has since propelled him to elite status in the Premier League, and there’s a sense that the same could happen with Talbi, who is yet to unleash his full capacity as a direct winger but has already made waves in Le Bris’s squad.

Whether Sunderland finish the season above Newcastle remains to be seen, but with special talents like Talbi coming into their own, there’s no question that this team can bridge the gap on their pesky neighbours – if they haven’t already done so.

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