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5. David Vaughan - Newcastle United 0-3 Sunderland - 14/4/14 - St. James Park
Welcome to the club, Davey lad! When it comes to screamers, this little midfielder saved his best for the derby. With Paolo Di Canio’s new recruit’s cruising to a win at castle greyskull, Sessegnon marauded into the opposition half once again, laying a neat ball into the Welshman’s path.
A chorus of "shoot" erupted from a delirious away end, and Vaughan obliged. A neat half-volley flew into the top corner where he wheeled away before asking the home crowd to remain quiet. Paolo jumped on him, the away end went nuts and Davey Vaughan became something of a cult hero.
4. Daryl Murphy - Sunderland 2-0 Wigan Athletic - 9/2/08 - Stadium of Light
Strangely this is our first entry to be scored at the Stadium of Light, but what a goal it was. Moved onto the right wing to allow the introduction of new signing Andy Reid, Murphy was a man not known for scoring many goals during his time at the club.
A pass from the cultured left foot of Andy Reid left Murphy with plenty of room to move into, and as he closed in on goal, he jinked inside his man before unleashing a thunderbolt that flew past Al-Habsi in the top corner, leaving him no chance. Another goal of the month winner - and quite rightly so.
3. Kieran Richardson - Sunderland 2-1 Newcastle United - 25/10/08 - Stadium of Light
So you may have noticed a recurring theme in the top five here, but we really have scored the best ones against that lot!
A week beforehand, at Fulham, Richardson had scored a sublime set-piece which was unfairly ruled out whilst also managing to hit both posts with a free kick in the very same game - so in his head, I think he had a score to settle. With barely fifteen minutes left on the clock, a free kick was awarded for a foul on El-Hadji Diouf - and we all know what happened next.
2. Jermain Defoe - Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle United - 05/04/15 - Stadium of Light
The best derby goal of all time? You bet. With both sides heading towards a relegation scrap, this game had never felt bigger than that day. The sun was shining as bright as it had in some time and the Stadium of Light crowd was expectant under the stewardship of new manager Dick Advocaat.
A dominant first half performance looked like it was going to end goalless before a long ball downfield from Pantilimon was nodded down by Steven Fletcher. The ball fell delightfully for the best centre forward this side of the universe, and he connected with his left peg. A second long gasp engulfed the crowd before utter delirium ensued.
He cried, I cried, Tim Krul patted him on the back. Class.
1.Kevin Phillips - Sunderland 4-1 Chelsea - 4/12/99 - Stadium of Light
There are certain games and certain goals that I will tell my Grandchildren about, and this game and goal tops the list.
Sunderland provided us with a perfect performance in every single imaginable way - a star-studded Chelsea team that had taken us apart on the opening game of the season was obliterated in 45 first half minutes.
The second goal of the game was a thunderous thirty-yarder from the iconic Kevin Phillips. The noise as he turns to celebrate, points at Peter Reid and slides on his knees is deafening.
It came during a period where we believed we could beat anyone - and we could. It’s a goal that captures that glorious era in a split second. The confidence to take the shot on, the screams from the crowd, the dismantling of a team worth millions, the smile on Kevin Phillips’ face. It's not just my favourite Premiership screamer, but my favourite goal ever. Number one.
Honourable mentions:
Campbell vs Norwich, Gardner vs Wigan, Vaughan vs Wigan, Vaughan vs Blackburn, Ball vs Forest, Thornton vs Chelsea, Reyna vs Leicester, Arca vs Middlesborough, Whitehead vs Spurs, Larsson vs Man. City, Richardson vs Wolves, Gardner vs Swansea, Lawrence vs Fulham.
And that’s that, Ladies and Gents - Sunderland’s top Premier League goals. Let us know your memories about the aforementioned games, and if you feel that we listed them in an appropriate order!