Barton spat at and pelted with missiles as Sunderland beat Newcastle

Joey Barton was spat at and pelted with missiles as Sunderland ended their 28-year wait for a home victory over Newcastle.

The controversial midfielder was targeted by home fans as he warmed up on the sidelines during the second half of a pulsating Wear-Tyne derby.

Barton eventually arrived on the pitch as an 84th-minute replacement for Nicky Butt but, by that point, the drama had already unfolded.

Kieran Richardson was the hero when, a week after twice being denied with free-kicks at Fulham, he smashed home a stunning winner from a similar position with 15 minutes remaining.

Djibril Cisse had earlier given the home side a 20th-minute lead, although that was cancelled out by Shola Ameobi within 10 minutes.

Ameobi, who had not scored in two years before Monday's draw with Manchester City, might have doubled his tally 13 minutes after the break, but substitute Kenwyne Jones headed just over and Cisse hit the post as the home side threatened to win more comfortably in front of a passionate sell-out crowd of 47,936.

The teams entered the arena on an afternoon when anti-racism campaigners were stressing the message 'One game, one community', although in another sense, the game represented a battle between two communities with intense local pride at stake.

For 20 minutes or more, the home fans revelled in seeing their side assume total control as they mastered the blustery conditions and took the game to their opponents.

In a first half of few chances, Steven Taylor had to take the ball off Dean Whitehead's toe as he prepared to shoot, and was then grateful to see Cisse wrong-footed by his mis-kick as he attempted to clear El-Hadji Diouf's cross.

However, with Sunderland in the ascendancy, the opening goal arrived with 20 minutes gone when Steed Malbranque, whose link up with full-back Pascal Chimbonda down the right caused all sorts of problems for the Magpies, drilled the ball across goal for Cisse to slide in and divert it past Shay Given.

But Newcastle gradually worked their way back into the game. Danny Collins and Anton Ferdinand had to make good blocks from Damien Duff and Obafemi Martins as the visitors finally made an impression in enemy territory.

However, it was man of the moment Ameobi who got his side back on terms, rising unopposed to power a 30th-minute header past keeper Marton Fulop, earning a rare start in place of the injured Craig Gordon.

If anything, the visitors held the upper hand as the half drew to a close and Fulop, who had looked less than certain under a series of high balls, made a solid 43rd-minute save from Duff after he had exchanged passes with Martins and powered his way into the box.

Cisse sent an overhead kick over the bar, but Martins smashed a left-footed volley just wide with the visitors continuing to make a fist of it.

With Duff and Geremi having switched wings at the break in an effort to curb Chimbonda's influence, the Magpies looked to have a better balance, although they were presented with a different problem with 57 minutes gone.

It was then that Roy Keane decided that the time was right to introduce Jones as a replacement, although it was Ameobi who almost gave his side the lead seconds later.

Martins broke from halfway and slid the ball into his strike partner's path but, after cutting inside, he sent his left-footed shot high over the bar.

After Barton's run-in with the home fans, Given had to block Cisse's scuffed shot and then watch Richardson's volley fly wide as Sunderland responded.

But the midfielder finally got his goal with 15 minutes remaining when, after Butt had tripped Diouf on the edge of the box, he smashed the resulting free-kick into the top corner.

Jones might have sealed the win two minutes later with a header which flew agonisingly over the bar, and Cisse smashed a long-range shot against the post, but despite a late flurry from the visitors, the points were safe.