It was the night the heavens opened and hell descended on Newcastle. Forget Tyne-Wear hostilities, it was the civil war between Ruud Gullit and Alan Shearer that blew a hole in the derby of 1999.
The Dutch boss named England’s captain on the bench and started instead with rookie Paul Robinson, a Sunderland fan, in attack. Duncan Ferguson was also kept in reserve, while Tommy Wright was in goal. Many fans arrived at St James’ Park not realising Wright had re-signed on an emergency loan.
When the line-ups were revealed in the press room, one journalist famously remarked: ‘That’s not a team sheet, it’s a suicide note.