Newcastle's Salia scores derby winner as he recovers from injury

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 1 Nov, 08:20 · Archive

Newcastle United's Vakhtang Salia scored the winner in the under-21s derby against Sunderland on Monday.

Newcastle United's under-21s twice came from behind to beat Sunderland's under-21s 3-2 in a PL2 derby on Monday evening at St James' Park. Vakhtang Salia scored the winning goal, taking his tally to five for the season. Kyran Thompson and Park Seung-soo also scored for Robbie Stockdale's side, which played in front of 5,100 fans.

Salia joined Newcastle from Dinamo Tbilisi in January 2025 and officially joined the club last summer after initially remaining with the Georgian side on loan. However, his first season on Tyneside was hampered by a hamstring injury that sidelined him for seven months.

After fighting back from injury, Salia said the derby was particularly important to him. 'It was for us and for me the most important win against Sunderland,' he told Chronicle Live. 'It's a derby for us and it's really important and I'm very pleased we ended like this and I scored the goal.' He added that his side showed character and mentality in recovering from conceding goals.

How it is being reported

• Striker reveals 'big motivation' to play for Newcastle United after Matthias Jaissle watches him in actionNewcastle United striker Vakhtang Salia has his eyes on making his first competitive appearance after impressing at Under-21s level.Shields Gazette · 1 Nov, 08:00
• I came back from Newcastle injury hell to become derby hero and impress Matthias JaissleVakhtang Salia has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season for Newcastle's under-21sChronicleLive · 1 Nov, 06:00

In this story: Vakhtang Salia · Newcastle United · Sunderland · Dinamo Tbilisi · St James' Park

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