Newcastle vs Sunderland player ratings: Was Aleksandar Mitrovic or Jermain Defoe the star man at St James' Park?

Newcastle 1 Sunderland 1

(2016 Getty Images)

Aleksandar Mitrovic headed home a late equaliser as Newcastle rescued a 1-1 draw with Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday to end a six-game losing run against their North East rivals and keep both teams in the relegation zone.

Sunderland took the lead in what was billed as the biggest North East derby in a generation when Jermain Defoe drove in a left-footed volley in the 44th minute.

Newcastle finished stronger as Mitrovic leaped high at the back post to plant a header across the face of goal into the far corner in the 83rd.

One of the teams looks set to go down this season as they battle with Norwich to avoid two of the likely relegation spots along with last-place Aston Villa, which is 12 points from safety.

Speaking at full-time, Sam Allardyce said: "In the second half, I don't know why we sat in and let Newcastle come at us. Maybe that was the size of the game, but in the end we haven't done that and it's two points dropped. We should have won this one. We need four wins from the last eight, so it's now must-win rather than draw."

But who was the star man at St James' Park? See our player ratings from the North East below...

The late strike is likely to give them confidence before six April fixtures that will go a long way to deciding their fate.

Additional reporting by AP.