(Football news) On the first day of 2024, Sunderland defeated Preston North End 2-0 in the Championship, while the Magpies were defeated 4-2 by Liverpool in the Premier League.
In the animal kingdom, the Black Cats often pursue the Magpies. However, considering Sunderland’s recent successes during the new manager bounce period under Michael Beale, the lower-tier hosts should feel confident about maintaining their position in the food chain against their fierce rivals.
After overseeing a humiliating 3-0 home loss to Coventry City to start his Stadium of Light tenure in the worst possible way, Beale has since watched his Sunderland crop take seven points from the last nine available, including two wins over Hull City and Preston with two clean sheets to boot.
On New Year’s Day, Sunderland managed to hold onto the fourth and final playoff spot in the Championship standings, despite Hull, Coventry, and Cardiff City being in close proximity. First-half goals from Alex Pritchard and Nazariy Rusyn proved pivotal against the latter.
The battle for promotion will now take a backseat as Sunderland begins their most recent endeavor in the FA Cup, an event the Black Cats have won twice already (1937 and 1973). In addition, they finished runners-up in the 1991–92 campaign after losing to Liverpool in the final.
Unfortunately, Sunderland’s recent aspirations for national success have fallen short of expectations. In the eight previous seasons, the hosts have only advanced past the third round once, and that was in the 2022–2023 campaign, when Fulham eliminated them in a replay.
Newcastle will look to add another long-awaited title to their trophy cabinet when relegation is a thing of the past and Champions League football, albeit fleeting, returns to St James’ Park. However, Eddie Howe’s team has not begun 2024 as they mean to go on.
