NEWCASTLE produced the North-East display of the season so far as they thrashed QPR on Tuesday to equal their club-record league away win.

They outclassed their opponents from start to finish at Loftus Road, but in terms of dominance, where does the performance stand when it comes to other displays from the North-East’s big three since the start of the millennium?

Here is a top ten of the most dominant displays by either Middlesbrough, Sunderland or Newcastle in that period.

(10) Newcastle United 5 Cardiff City 1 (February 2010)

The Northern Echo:

Newcastle were efficient rather than explosive for the majority of their last season in the Championship, but this was an evening when they cut loose to cement their position as champions elect.

Andy Carroll was the star of the show, displaying early signs of the ability that would eventually earn him a £35m move to Liverpool as he scored twice inside the opening 15 minutes.

A Gabor Gyepes own goal meant the Magpies were three goals to the good by the quarter-hour mark, with Peter Lovenkrands adding two more to the tally in the second half to ensure the scoreline adequately reflected Newcastle’s superiority.

(9) Millwall 1 Middlesbrough 5 (December 2014)

The Northern Echo:

The New Den is traditionally a daunting place to visit, but Middlesbrough certainly showed no signs of nerves as they dismantled Millwall in what still remains the most one-sided game played under Aitor Karanka.

It was the Jelle Vossen show for most of the afternoon, as the Belgian striker plundered his only hat-trick in a Boro shirt inside the opening 44 minutes. Patrick Bamford also scored before the break, as Boro’s free-flowing attacking play ripped a series of holes in the Millwall defence.

Scott McDonald grabbed a second-half consolation for Millwall as Boro took their foot off the gas, but Kike ensured the visitors still had the final say, adding a fifth goal with 11 minutes left.

(8) Newcastle United 6 Aston Villa 0 (August 2010)

The Northern Echo:

Having only been promoted three months earlier, there were fears about how Newcastle would cope in the top-flight as they tackled their first home game of the 2010-11 season. Suffice to say, those fears did not last long.

Joey Barton opened the scoring with a strike from outside the area, and while John Carew missed a penalty for Villa, the visitors were quickly brushed aside. Kevin Nolan scored twice, with Andy Carroll claiming a hat-trick as his power and aerial prowess proved much too much for a fragile Villa defence.

Chris Hughton touted Carroll for an England place in the immediate aftermath of the game, and the striker’s performance was arguably his best in a Newcastle shirt.

(7) Newcastle United 0 Sunderland 3 (February 2014)

The Northern Echo:

The second of Sunderland’s successive 3-0 victories at St James’ Park was unquestionably the most impressive. First time around, Newcastle had chances to get back into the game. But in February 2014, with Gus Poyet in charge of the Black Cats, Sunderland ripped their derby rivals apart.

Fabio Borini opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and by the time Adam Johnson swept home from close range midway through the first half, Newcastle were in disarray.

Johnson hit the post in the second half, and while Tim Krul saved from Jozy Altidore, Sunderland’s superiority was underlined when Jack Colback waltzed through a vacant Magpies defence to score the Black Cats’ third in the closing stages.

(6) Middlesbrough 4 Manchester United 1 (October 2005)

The Northern Echo:

It wasn’t just the quality of Middlesbrough’s play that made their 2005 demolition of Manchester United so special – it was also the calibre of the team they were playing against. United fielded the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy, yet were still ripped apart.

Gaizka Mendieta opened the rout in the second minute, profiting from a goalkeeping error from Edwin van de Sar, and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink doubled Boro’s lead as he nonchalantly brushed Ferdinand aside.

Ayegbeni Yakubu scored from the spot on the stroke of half-time to ensure Boro went into the interval three goals ahead, and Mendieta claimed a fourth before Ronaldo scored a meaningless consolation in stoppage time.

(5) Luton Town 0 Sunderland 5 (May 2007)

The Northern Echo:

They had already been promoted, but Sunderland had to win at Luton on the final day of the 2006-07 season to ensure they went up as champions. What followed was an attacking masterclass that sparked a party that lasted the rest of the weekend.

Any fears of a slip-up disappeared inside the opening ten minutes as goals from Anthony Stokes and Daryl Murphy put Sunderland into cruise control. With Black Cats fans celebrating all around the ground, Murphy claimed his second goal of the afternoon at the start of the second half, before Ross Wallace made it four.

David Connolly completed the scoring in the closing stages, sparking euphoric scenes, although there was a slight disappointment that the trophy was not presented on the Kenilworth Road pitch.

(4) Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 4 (April 2006)

The Northern Echo:

The scoreline might not have been as emphatic as the 5-1 win at St James’ Park in 2010, but Newcastle’s 2006 success at Stadium of Light was easily the most one-sided derby game since the start of the millennium.

Sunderland, who were rock bottom of the Premier League, claimed the lead through Justin Hoyte, but it did not take long for Newcastle to assert their superiority and the second half saw the Black Cats defence completely disintegrate in the face of relentless Magpies pressure.

Michael Chopra tapped home an equaliser, before Alan Shearer scored his final goal in a Newcastle shirt from the penalty spot. Charles N’Zogbia waltzed through the Sunderland defence to score Newcastle’s third, before the much-maligned Albert Luque completed the rout.

(3) Cambridge United 0 Sunderland 7 (October 2002)

The Northern Echo:

Peter Reid was under a fair bit of pressure as Sunderland travelled to Third Division Cambridge United in the second round of the Worthington Cup, but you wouldn’t have known it from the quality of his side’s performance as they ran in seven.

Claudio Reyna’s free-kick sent Sunderland on their way, before Gavin McCann lashed home the goal of the night from 25 yards to double the visitors’ advantage.

Leading by two at the interval, Sunderland ripped their opponents apart in the second half, with £10m duo Marcus Stewart and Tore-Andre Flo claiming two goals apiece. Julio Arca also scored as the Black Cats sent their fans into seventh heaven.

(2) QPR 0 Newcastle 6 (September 2016)

The Northern Echo:

Not only did Newcastle score six as they equalled their club-record league away win, they also hit the crossbar twice and had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside. On another night, they could easily have racked up ten.

Jonjo Shelvey’s deflected strike opened the scoring, with Ayoze Perez’s slide-rule finish ensuring Newcastle went into the interval with a two-goal lead. Shelvey scored the goal of the game from outside the area at the start of the second half, with Ciaran Clark making it four shortly after.

The Magpies looked like scoring whenever they attacked in the second half, and goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Grant Hanley ensured they finished the night having rewritten the record books.

(1) Middlesbrough 8 Manchester City 1 (May 2008)

The Northern Echo:

It might have been a meaningless match on the final day of the season, and Manchester City’s players might have had their minds on the beach, but by scoring eight goals in a Premier League game, Middlesbrough deserve their place at the top of this list.

The early dismissal of Richard Dunne undoubtedly aided Boro’s cause, but that still shouldn’t detract from how well they played as they racked up their biggest Premier League win. Stewart Downing and Afonso Alves scored in the first half, but while it was only 2-0 at half-time, the second half was a Boro procession.

Downing scored another, Alves completed a hat-trick in the final seconds, and Adam Johnson, Fabio Rochemback and Jeremie Aliadiere were also on target as Sven-Goran Eriksson’s City side was ruthlessly torn apart.

  • Do you agree with Scott's top ten? Which game would you pick?