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Derby Day Delight: Murphy Magic, Tamminen’s Heroics & England’s Late Surge
11 Plays7 days ago
On today’s episode of The Daily Newcastle Podcast, Michael Grahamslaw breaks down a wild Tyne–Wear derby as Newcastle United Women lit up St James’ Park with a 3–1 win over Sunderland in front of nearly 19,000 fans.
From Anna Tamminen’s game-changing penalty save to Emily Murphy’s superstar cameo, we dive into the drama, the chaos, the set-piece dominance, and what this result means for Claire Ditchburn’s unbeaten run as interim manager.
We then shift to England’s scrappy but ultimately successful trip to Albania, where Harry Kane’s brace sealed a historic, spotless qualifying campaign — even if the first half was one to forget.
Big saves, big goals, big statements — and big questions ahead for both club and country.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Daily Newcastle
00:00:05
Speaker
Your daily soccer podcast with the Global Sports Podcast Network.
Newcastle Women's Team Victory
00:00:11
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Daily Newcastle, your home for all things black and white across Tyneside.
00:00:19
Speaker
I'm Michael Grahamslaw and today we're diving into a huge result at St James' as's Park as Newcastle United's women powered to a 3-1 Derby Day victory over Sunderland in the WSL2.
00:00:34
Speaker
two Nearly 19,000 fans were packed into the Cathedral on the Hill. creating another fantastic atmosphere as Claire Ditchburn's side extended their under-beaten run under their interim manager and leapfrogged up to fourth in the table.
00:00:52
Speaker
Now, let's be honest, the first half was a bit of a snoozefest and not a lot happened, but in the second, there was drama, missed opportunities, set-piece chaos and a superstar showing from the bench.
00:01:08
Speaker
So let's get right into it. This tiny weird derby came in with a real narrative. Newcastle was 7th, Sunderland 8th. But Newcastle were unbeaten in 2 under interim boss Claire Ditchburn following Becky Langley's departure.
00:01:24
Speaker
And Sunderland were out without a win in 7. But who knows what can happen on a derby day. Now, both managers made a couple of changes. Anna Taminen returned in goal for Newcastle. Diana Cooper came into the back line.
00:01:41
Speaker
Or Dina Cooper, I should have said, came into the back line. And suddenly recalled Louise Griffiths and Kira Barry. They were from their tough loss to Portsmouth last time out.
00:01:52
Speaker
ah The opening in half an hour kind of reflected the tension. And no, I'm not talking about everyone standing outside waiting to get in. and Which was ah slog, a struggle, but resembled that first half pretty nicely. air Newcastle enjoyed more of the ball, struggled to break down a Sunderland side that were compact and reliant on the counter-attack. There was a couple of half chances, nothing too troubling though.
00:02:18
Speaker
Magpie's best moment came on 31 minutes. A lovely delivery from Beth Lumsden, who was without a doubt the best player from either side in that first half. Shayna Hales had a her close range effort blocked, and Molly Pike fired over the bar from the rebound.
00:02:35
Speaker
At halftime, it was 0-0. The game needed a spark, and in the stands... I needed a coffee. ah The coffee didn't manage to get it, queue was too long, but the spark definitely came.
00:02:48
Speaker
Although not from the size you would have expected.
Game-Changing Moments and Key Players
00:02:52
Speaker
After a pretty lacklustre first half from Sunderland, it only took six minutes before they earned a penalty. The ball ricocheted in the box. There was a future few misplaced passes in the lead-up.
00:03:08
Speaker
Hit Alfie Manon on the arm, should i say um ricocheted off a foot onto her arm from a shot. The referee, Phoebe Cross, pointed straight at the spot.
00:03:20
Speaker
um and although it did spark life into the game for me it was a terrible decision um a turning point in the referee performance as well i thought first half uh phoebe cross had a great half um and the second just seemed every call just seemed to be wrong new from the newcastle side and the sundland side as well there was a few free kicks given to newcastle where i was thinking okay I'm not sure how that that's been a free kick, but we'll take it.
00:03:49
Speaker
and There was a few moments, obviously, the penalty included, where Sunderland got the look of the green. um But that wasn't the goal for Sunderland in the end. It could have been a moment that broke the game open.
00:04:02
Speaker
It actually probably was the moment that broke the game open. But Eleanor Dale was the one that stepped up for Sunderland and Anna Taminen back into the squad.
00:04:12
Speaker
calm as you like at the Gallagher end, got down low and saved brilliantly. A huge moment in the game, a genuine derby turning point, and you could feel the lift it gave the home crowd, which admittedly was starting to get a bit cold and a bit quiet.
00:04:30
Speaker
and Even manager Claire Ditchburn at the end of the game said that was the hugely important moment, and she was right. It changed everything because from there, Newcastle came alive And I found out exactly why Newcastle were just lumping the ball into the box at every opportunity they got.
00:04:48
Speaker
ah Because on 63 minutes of Jordan Nobbs corner caused absolute carnage in the Sunderland box. There was bodies everywhere. ah scramble on the line and it was Dana Cooper who reacted quickest and nodded home from close range. 1-0 Newcastle.
00:05:05
Speaker
Derby did delight. And St James' Park erupted. Or at least... The three quarters of the stadium that they opened did. But Sunderland, it took them a little while to recover from that blow and Newcastle struck again two minutes later.
00:05:23
Speaker
Lumsden swung in another dangerous corner. Sunderland hesitated. Killkeeper Grace Maloney couldn't claim it and substitute Emily Murphy, who'd only been on the pitch for eight minutes, powered in a header to double the lead.
00:05:36
Speaker
Two goals in two minutes and it looked all but done for the Magpies. The Magpies were soaring, but Sunderland... The Black Cats hadn't stopped purring.
00:05:48
Speaker
Derby Day drama wasn't done. Straight from their own corner kick, Sunderland hit back. A game of set pieces. Emily Scar delivered deep to the back post.
00:06:00
Speaker
Kira Barry rose highest and nodded it past. Taminin to make it There was a bit of kerfuffle in the box. A lot of players went down.
00:06:12
Speaker
Newcastle ended up having to make a substitution um as well. But it was three goals in five minutes. The game had gone from horse a edgy mess to a chaotic, brilliant second half. In just the blink of an eye, and with 20 minutes to play, anything could have happened. For Sunderland, it was a lifeline. For Newcastle, it was a real test of the composure.
00:06:37
Speaker
you know, Beggy Langley... unfortunately no longer at the club. Under her, I think at the start the season, Newcastle might have crumbled, but given the fact that their manager had departed, I think it's one of those where the lasses have sort of felt like they've let her down and they don't want to do the same i going forward.
00:06:59
Speaker
So you could really see the resilience ah of the players there as they were looking to push back up the table and get into the promotion fight they were tipped for at the start of the season. And you were wondering who was going to have the metal to really be the one that pushed the game forward.
00:07:16
Speaker
And of course, It was the substitute again, Emily Murphy, who had already changed the game with her second goal. She was full of energy, full of confidence and an absolutely devastating finish for the third. She picked the ball up around 30 yards out.
00:07:34
Speaker
drove forward, carried into space and unleashed a low strike straight into the bottom corner. Her second goal of the game, Newcastle's third and it was a moment that sealed the Derby win.
00:07:46
Speaker
It was a super sub-performance if you'd ever seen one. Two goals, relentless pressure and a statement for minutes going forward because at Chelsea she obviously left because she wasn't getting minutes and at Newcastle she's found them hard to come by.
00:08:02
Speaker
But maybe she won't find them hard to come by going forward because she was the unanimous player of the match. Absolutely fantastic performance off the bench.
Impact on Newcastle's Standing
00:08:11
Speaker
And after that third goal, Newcastle saw the game out with maturity, controlled possession andsur and ensuring Sunderland never found a way back into the game.
00:08:19
Speaker
When the full-time whistle blew, the roar around St. James' Park said it all. A Derby Day win. Some happiness at St James' Park, which, outside of the Champions League for the guys, we haven't really had at all this season.
00:08:35
Speaker
ah Newcastle leap up to fourth on the table. Obviously, there's a bit of a gap and between the top three and the rest. ah But Newcastle leading the way of the rest of the pack.
00:08:46
Speaker
And an interim manager who is still unbeaten. And putting a face and name, should I say, right up there for the candidates for the role going forward for the rest of the season um And speaking of Claire Ditchburn, she was full of pride in the post-match. You could see how much the fixture meant to her because she even says, this is the big derby. When you come to Newcastle, everyone tells you this is the one you need to win.
00:09:14
Speaker
And Claire, you did just that. Absolutely fantastic performance. And in the other dugout, Mallory, well, it tells you all about the game. She wouldn't do a post-match press conference.
00:09:27
Speaker
But then... Eight games without win will do that to you. um So, you know, it's a hard one to say how this is actually going to impact Newcastle women going forward.
00:09:39
Speaker
A lot of people will say that Claire Ditchburn's position should be cemented as a permanent. Others will say, look, we need to do a little bit more and we need to go for a big name.
00:09:51
Speaker
um But Ross Wilson was in the attendance. um And the search for permanent manager will continue, but Ditchburn hasn't done herself any harm. Seven points from nine, a Derby win, invisible momentum going forward.
Focus Shift: England vs. Albania
00:10:06
Speaker
um We're going to go into the second part of today's pod, which is Albania versus England.
00:10:13
Speaker
and But first, i want to run through some of the lasses that stood out to me. First one is the the penalty hero, obviously. um The first two are pretty obvious, actually. Anna Taminen didn't have much to do in the first half from what I have seen of women's football.
00:10:29
Speaker
It is from tournaments where goalkeepers have struggled to save penalties. The English keepers do tend to be the best at that, of what I've seen on the Lasses' side.
00:10:40
Speaker
But Anna Taminen, absolutely fantastic. I was... when um sundown player stepped up i was sitting there thinking that's one nil uh and the save brought the crowd to life completely changed the game and then she had some pretty good saves to make after that as well um and to be honest i was very surprised how vocal she was it's organizing her defense um very very good performance and arguably if emily murphy wasn't going to be given the man of the match or should i say the player of the match sorry um
00:11:14
Speaker
then you know it would have been Anna Tammenem, wouldn't it? um And then obviously, the second is the eventual match winner and player of the match, Emily Murphy. I'm not going to pretend I know a lot about women's football, or her in particular, but the former Chelsea player oozed quality after coming on, was adventurous in her dribbling, and of course scored twice.
00:11:34
Speaker
usually a good sign someone's had a good game. And then the third standout for me um was Beth Lumsden, particularly in that first half. She looked like the only woman on the pitch who was going to make something happen.
00:11:46
Speaker
She was the only one who tried to take on a full-back from both teams, really, and it was a standout performance. She looked absolutely fantastic. um Newcastle United women now sitting fourth, as I mentioned, going to the international break. Before that, there is a Women's League Cup group stage match.
00:12:05
Speaker
Newcastle are already out of that, but they do face WSL side Everton. It's a chance to test themselves against some top-tier opposition. and gain even more confidence, because that opposition is without a win in 10 games, um since they won the opening day of the WSL season, 4-1 win against Liverpool, obviously got promoted last year, so it is a tough game, any game against WSL opposition is going to be tough, but Newcastle go into it full of confidence, because the Derby victory, which just had everything, drama, momentum swings, big saves, set piece chaos, as I mentioned,
00:12:44
Speaker
and an inspired substitution. So, more importantly for Newcastle, it showed the resilience, and that is something they've needed after losing Becky Lamley early in the season.
00:12:55
Speaker
um But you know what? We're not going to go into an advert. We're going to go straight into part two, um which is England versus Albania. i haven't got a lot to say on the game. It'll be two, three minutes.
00:13:07
Speaker
So, hence why I'm not going to go into too much with an advert. and But England went into Albania with just one thing in mind. i Go in and come out with a clean sheet and a win.
00:13:19
Speaker
Thomas Tuchel, as I mentioned in the pre-match match preview, should I say, made some changes like we thought he would. Dean Henderson came in, Dan Byrne, Gerald Concer, Adam Watton, Jude Bellingham, Eber Echese and Jarrod Bowen all came in to the side.
00:13:34
Speaker
Tuchel, he wanted to see who was desperate to impress him and honestly in that first half, not a single player impressed. um Maybe Gerard Bowen, actually. That's a bit harsh. He was energetic.
00:13:46
Speaker
He forced the Albanian goalkeeper in. I think he's only save of the first half. But Albania were pretty much the better team and it looked like they were going to score. um Dean Henderson was forced into some good saves.
00:13:59
Speaker
um One great piece of sweeper work as well, where he asked to actually come in and make a tackle outside of his box. um car on baff it was i don't it wasn't Bro yet, it was one of the other Albanian attack as a current member off the top my head but gets in behind, Dean Henderson comes out from his goal, brilliant tackle um and at the 50th minute you're looking at them thinking Albania are the better team here, we might lose this and then England sort of stepped things up, Bellingham sort of got a bit more time on the ball he created England's first decent chance fired the ball into Eze who
00:14:37
Speaker
passed the ball at the veteran Albanian goalkeeper. For some reason, i mean it looks like you tried to curl it and just hit the wrong side of the ball. Bellingham over then am fired over from a set piece.
00:14:49
Speaker
Dan Byrne with a drop down. Hits Dan Byrne on the calf, really. He goes in for the header. Bounces off the top of his head. Hits his calf and just lands into the in the the The stride of Jude Bellingham, who fires over.
00:15:07
Speaker
um And then came the substitutions. and Bakayo Saka coming on for Eberrechie Eze. There was another one as well. But Saka came on and made the most difference. i fired one straight the goalkeeper pretty much straight away. But it was England that took the lead from a corner because of ah ball from Bakayo Saka and a finish by Harry Kane.
00:15:29
Speaker
However, in the middle of those two, the sack across and the Kane finish was unfortunately an Albanian head who aims to clear the ball. It scrapes off the top of the defender's head and it just lands in the six-yard box.
00:15:44
Speaker
Keeper goes to try and claim it. He can't. Harry Kane, like the excellent poacher that he is, gets in front of the goalkeeper, prods the ball over the line and England led 1-0.
00:15:55
Speaker
light one nil Albania had some decent chances and definitely caused England some problems, but England got a second when Marcus Rashford whipped in a delightful cross, arguably the first bit of attacking quality that England showed in the game, and Harry Kane nodded home for his brace.
00:16:14
Speaker
If Marcus Rashford can do that in England colours consistently, Anthony Gordon ain't got a hope of getting back in that England team. Um... But two games, that was pretty much it for the England game. Two games and in the first half of both, we saw very little quality.
00:16:30
Speaker
But in the second halves, both Newcastle United's women's team and England picked up the wins due to talent coming off the bench. And that is all from me here on the Daily Newcastle. It's Derby Day delight for the lasses.
00:16:43
Speaker
And for England, it was another 90 minutes for Dan Byrne and another clean sheet as England became the first team to go through the whole qualifying campaign without conceding a single goal.
00:16:55
Speaker
Now, it's a great record to have, but it could also be matched for the first time as Spain take on ah Turkey next week. And if Spain keep a clean sheet, England and Spain will have both done it for the first time.
00:17:08
Speaker
ever this season which is a bit mental but Albania did put up one hell of a fight Turkey are going to do exactly the same England won by two Newcastle ladies won by two and if Carlsberg did Sundays well you know the rest
00:17:33
Speaker
your daily soccer podcast with the Global Sports Podcast Network