Brian Brobbey's 90th-minute winner left Newcastle stunned as Sunderland claimed victory in the first Tyne-Wear derby at St James' park in over a decade.
A poorly executed goal-kick routine saw Luke O'Nien gift possession to the Magpies on the edge of his own area, allowing Anthony Gordon to slot home from close range and send the Gallowgate into raptures inside the first 10 minutes.
However, Chemsdine Talbi and Brobbey secured a comeback win as the Black Cats completed the league double over their rivals in a game that was also marred by crowd trouble.
The atmosphere was a hostile one going into kick-off, with Sunderland fans being escorted into the stadium by police in an attempt to avoid crowd trouble.
The game was also halted during the second half after reports of discriminatory language from the stands aimed at Lutsharel Geertruida. The Premier League confirmed the incident will be investigated.
Once the action got going, it was the hosts who started on the front foot. Fresh off his double against Barcelona, Anthony Elanga came close with a header in the opening exchanges before Gordon grabbed the initiative.
A seemingly planned goal-kick routine saw Melker Ellborg play a pass short to O'Nien. But the longest-serving player in the Sunderland squad rushed his clearance, playing it straight to Nick Woltemade. The German's first touch fell to Gordon, who found space before firing into the bottom corner.
Newcastle retained control from that point onwards, but failed to add a second with Sven Botman's header that hit the post the closest they came to doubling their advantage.
Eddie Howe's side would be made to rue their inability to find a two-goal cushion when Talbi found an equaliser out of the blue.
Howe had described Newcastle's set-piece defending as "unforgivable" against Barcelona and it was more of the same as they failed to clear their lines, allowing Talbi to smash home from close range just before the hour mark.
Newcastle thought they had reinstated their lead with a quarter of an hour remaining as Malick Thiaw headed home from their own corner, but play was pulled back as Jacob Murphy was deemed to have impacted Ellborg while stood in an offside position.
As the game wore on, the intensity of Newcastle's schedule seemed to catch up with them as they tired. Indeed, it was the visitors who would have the last laugh as Brobbey capped off a clinical counter-attack to give Sunderland all three points.
The result not only means that Sunderland leapfrog Newcastle in the Premier League table, but it sees them set a new record with 11 Premier League Tyne-Wear derbies unbeaten.
Following the game, Newcastle released a statement condemning the alleged racist abuse directed at Sunderland full-back Geertruida.
A club spokesperson said: "We are aware of a report of racism made by a visiting player against someone in the crowd during our Premier League match against Sunderland.
"Our stance is clear - we do not tolerate discrimination of any form.
"We will work with the authorities to fully investigate and will ensure any individuals are identified and held accountable."
Eddie Howe also commented on the incident post-match, telling Your Site: "Certainly, we don't condone any form of racism and it's something the club will investigate."
Sunderland released their own statement, saying: "Sunderland AFC is aware of the reported incident of racist abuse directed at Lutsharel Geertruida during today's fixture at St James' Park.
"We stand with Lutsharel, who has our complete backing, and we commend him for displaying bravery and leadership by reporting this incident to the match officials.
"Racism is completely unacceptable. It is abhorrent, and has no place in our game or in society.
"We acknowledge Newcastle United's statement and expect those responsible to be identified and held accountable.
"There can be no tolerance, no excuses, and no ambiguity when it comes to incidents of this nature.
"Football must be a safe and inclusive environment for everyone - without exception - and we will continue to work with the relevant authorities to support that aim."
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris revealed post-match that he had spoken to Geertruida.
"We spoke just a bit before the press conference, he looks okay. It is not acceptable and it's important to report and to manage the situation properly," he said.
"He looks okay but we need to support him."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe speaking with Your Site:
"I thought when we scored we'd go on and dominate the game and then we never really capitalised on that momentum that we had. The first half fizzed out, from our perspective.
"In the second half, we were second best throughout that half. I didn't like our performance. Technically, we were poor. Too many giveaways, too many times we gave momentum back to Sunderland.
"I think a defeat's harsh on us, but we certainly didn't play anywhere near well enough.
"We've got some massive games to come in the Premier League. We get a chance to go into a diferent phase of our season where, week-to-week, we're able to train and maybe get that freshness back in our performance."
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris speaking with Your Site:
"We didn't start well with this early mistake. We stayed composed and were well-aligned with what we wanted to do. It's a tough place because, with their crowd, they generate momentum at times, but the team reacted well.
"We were a bit emotional at half-time because it matters and this game is really important for us. We didn't want to lose. We decided to stay aligned, to stay together, to push together and the second half was really good for that.
"We suffered at times but we enjoyed some opportunities and I think we played good football.
"We want to win and to be proud of our club. It matters when you lose and you are not happy, which is acceptable. I really appreciated the second half, even the way the team reacted after the goal we conceded. Stay calm, stay composed and you will seize your opportunity when it comes."
