The big controversial moment came for a harsh decision against Rasmus Hojlund, with VAR flagging contact between his arm and Rodri in the box, some time after the incident occurred.

Jim Baxter was involved in a typical piece of “shithousery” when he easily beat John Craggs and the full back came back at him attempting to amputate him at the kneecaps. The result ends a run of three successive victories for Erik ten Hag’s team, who were on the wrong end of a major VAR decision in the first half, allowing Haaland to open the scoring from the spot. The Reds kicked off with a chorus of “there’s only one Bobby Charlton” still ringing around the Theatre of Dreams, following a minute of applause as part of our pre-match commemorations of one of the game's true legends. The fact that we could get to St James about twenty-five minutes faster than we could get to Roker Park from my Morpeth home was neither here nor there to me.

The game finished at a canter for Sunderland, United were well beaten and had hardly thrown a punch in a contest that Sunderland had dominated from start to finish. Newcastle – Hollins, Clark, Craggs, Moncur, Iley, Thompson, Suddick, Hilley, McGarry, Robson, Davies. Stoppage time saw the heat of the derby lead to both substitute Antony and Fernandes go into the referee’s notebook, while City finished things with a free-kick just outside the Reds' penalty area which Haaland blasted into the wall. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. At the other end, Haaland was eyeing up a hat-trick just a couple of minutes later, but was denied by Onana who was quick to pounce when the ball was played through and put his body on the line to save the strike.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Speaking to the press after the game Niel Martin reckoned Sunderland “had harder training matches at Cleadon”.I had been taken to Newcastle a couple of times the previous season and had enjoyed the football and the occasion, but my very first trip to Roker Park in March 1966 had totally hooked me, I liked football but loved Sunderland and had taken every opportunity offered to go to Roker and see my heroes. In the ascendancy, Pep Guardiola’s side created more opportunities soon after, including through Grealish who dropped his shoulder to cut inside and curled a strike which was goalbound until Onana pushed it away.

The season seemed primed to take off from this point, and we followed this result up with a scintillating 4-1 victory at Roker Park over Sheffield United with Baxter and Martin once more to the fore.

Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

But as Rashford had to contort his body to hit the ball back across goal, it agonisingly went the wrong side of the post. With Baxter and Herd dominant in midfield, and George “bullet” Mulhall giving Burnopfield teenager John Craggs the run-around on his wing, Sunderland looked like they were going to pick up where they had left off against Stoke in midweek. Behind the scenes there was a divided dressing room, an indifferent manager, and a wayward star whose light was fading as alcohol and gambling did their worst. After skipping over Ederson's challenge, he teed up Fernandes who put the recycled effort over the bar. I vividly remember half-time in this game and chatting to two brothers who were on the fence beside me.

The tide in the half then turned in favour of the Blues and United were soaking up City’s possession before the break, with Onana producing a save from Julian Alvarez after Jack Grealish was brought down by Jonny Evans to the left of the area.