Tyne-Wear derby marred by alleged racism as Newcastle showdown with Sunderland is paused after reported abuse of Lutsharel Geertruida

Match referee Anthony Taylor temporarily suspended proceedings at St. James’ Park shortly after the restart. The game had been running for just five minutes after the interval before another break was taken in.

The captains of both teams were called over to the dugout, where the matter was discussed with those on both benches - with coaching staff also needing to be made aware of what had allegedly taken place.

There had been a break in play while Magpies defender Sven Botman recovered from being caught by a high boot. During that brief pause, Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka made Taylor aware of something that had been said by those in the stands. The comments in question are said to have been aimed in Geertruida’s direction.

An official statement released by the Premier League read: “Today’s match between Newcastle United and Sunderland was temporarily paused during the second half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida.

“This is in line with the Premier League's on-field anti-discrimination protocol. The incident at St James’ Park will now be fully investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs. Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”

More unfortunate headlines had been made before long-standing rivalries in the north east were rekindled on Tyneside. Sunderland’s team bus was given a hostile reception to St James’ Park.

Police attempted to keep a lid on any trouble, but pre-match fights broke out between feuding supporters - leaving some requiring medical attention. The ugly scenes marred the build-up to a tense encounter.

Sunderland - who prevailed 1-0 over their old adversaries at the Stadium of Light back in December - completed a memorable derby double over the Magpies as they responded to going a goal down early on to prevail 2-1 in dramatic fashion.

Anthony Gordon opened the scoring following a mistake by Luke O’Nien, but the Black Cats restored parity in the 57th minute through Chemsdine Talbi. Brian Brobbey grabbed a 90th-minute winner for the visitors when he bundled home from close range and sparked wild scenes of celebration in the away end.