Sam Allardyce has urged Sunderland to produce their best performance of the season in the Tyne-Wear derby, which he has labelled the biggest in its history. The Black Cats face fiercest rivals Newcastle at St James Park on Super Sunday - live on Sky Sports 1 from 12.30pm - with both sides battling for Premier League survival. Only a point separates Sunderland in 17th and Newcastle in 19th and Allardyce said: I dont think theres been a Newcastle-Sunderland derby as big as this one for the wrong reasons. We shouldnt be associated with being at the bottom, but we are, so it makes it even bigger. The three points at stake are going to be massive to whoever wins the game. Sunderlands super six How Sunderland have dominated Newcastle It is a long time coming for us because of the weekend free we had last week, we didnt want it, but we had to cope with it and hopefully the players will be ready physically, mentally and tactically to go out and produce one of the best performances of the season to win it. The three points, to whichever side gets it, puts them in a really good position to try and get safe with only eight games left to go.This is as big a derby as any other in this country. You can say when Manchester United and Manchester City are at the top of the league thats the biggest derby of the season, but it isnt any bigger than this one. Allardyce has challenged his Sunderland team to perform This area, people live for their football week-in week-out, they want to see their team win and when they play their local rival they want to see them win that one.Theres a massive atmosphere and the players have to enjoy it, absorb that atmosphere and hope it brings the best out of them.Allardyce took the time to play down his long-standing feud with Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez, having previously been involved in a number of public spats with the Spaniard. Rafa v Big Sam How Benitez and Allardyce match-up It is not about me or Rafa on Sunday, apart from us doing our job behind the scenes, its about both sets of players, he said. I am sure there is nothing I can say or do, theres certainly nothing Rafa can do or say in his press conference that can rattle me and thats for sure. We have got to get the players ready for the battle and hopefully well win the battle on Sunday. Also See: Given fears for Newcastle Premier League questions Mersons predictions Relegation run-in predictions Custom Los Angeles Angels Nike Jerseys . The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts. Custom Houston Astros Nike Jerseys . -- Once again, Carlos Santana was a huge hit in Kansas City. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-philadelphia-phillies-nike-jerseys . Wearing bib No. 1, Maze skied through the gates cleanly to defend her big first-run lead and finish 0.07 seconds ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria. Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, trailing 0. Custom New York Yankees Nike Jerseys .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their agreed-upon trade that sends former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to the West Coast for a pair of minor league pitching prospects. Custom St. Louis Cardinals Nike Jerseys . Vettel only needs to finish fifth or better Sunday to wrap up the championship with three races remaining, and bettered his own lap record to claim his third straight pole at Buddh International Circuit.LIVERPOOL, England -- Manchester City hurdled its last big obstacle en route to the English Premier League title by winning 3-2 at Everton, while heavy defeats condemned Fulham and Cardiff to relegation on Saturday. Two home wins, against Aston Villa on Wednesday and West Ham on Sunday, separate City from a second championship in three years after coming from behind to win at Goodison Park -- a stadium where it has traditionally struggled with just one victory from its last 15 visits. Sergio Agueros goal cancelled out Ross Barkleys brilliant 11th-minute opener for Everton, then Edin Dzeko scored twice in a five-minute span bridging halftime to help City go top -- for a day at least -- on goal difference from Liverpool, and two points clear of Chelsea. All three teams have two games left, with Chelsea playing Norwich on Sunday and Liverpool at Crystal Palace on Monday. "Three points is a huge step for us," City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. "Its a decisive moment, but we havent finished yet." Aguero gave City a scare by limping off in the 28th minute -- soon after scoring his equalizer -- but said on Twitter that he came off as a precaution and he was "fine." Evertons defeat dealt a major blow to the title hopes of neighbour Liverpool, and ensured Arsenal clinched fourth spot and Champions League qualification for the 17th straight season. Resurgent Sunderlands surprise 1-0 win at Manchester United pulled the team three points clear of third-from-bottom Norwich, gave interim United manager Ryan Giggs a reality check, and also consigned Fulham and Cardiff to the second tier. Fulham lost 4-1 at Stoke, and Cardiff was defeated 3-0 at Newcastle, leaving both sides unable to climb out of the relegation zone. "I have to apologize for not managing the situation. The club asked me to come -- I tried," said Fulham manager Felix Magath, who was hired in February in an attempt to keep the club in the top division for a 14th straight season. "You can never say any player would like to see relegation, but they didnt fight enough, especiially today.dddddddddddd" Cardiff goes down after spending just one year in the Premier League, having also changed managers midway through the season in a bid to prevent the drop. "I knew what I was coming into," Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. "I didnt make the impact I hoped for and I believed in." Sunderland has taken seven points from trips to Man City, Chelsea and United in the past three weeks, with Sebastian Larssons 30th-minute goal clinching a first league victory at Old Trafford since 1968. United turned in a performance reminiscent of David Moyes woeful 10-month tenure that was brought to an end last month, puncturing the optimism created by the teams 4-0 win over Norwich last Saturday in Giggs first match in interim control. "I feel flat," Giggs said. "The players were flat and I dont know why. . We were putting five- or 10-yard passes astray and if you do that in the Premier League you get punished. Weve had a problem at home all season -- its not been good enough." Already out of contention to qualify for the Champions League, United is also struggling to make the Europa League as it is six points behind sixth-place Tottenham, which lost 2-0 at West Ham. Spurs went down to 10 men in the 25th minute when Younes Kaboul was given a straight red card for a professional foul, before an own goal by Harry Kane and Stewart Downings free kick secured a victory that preserved West Hams Premier League status for another season. Aston Villa moved six points clear of Norwich after beating Hull 3-1 thanks to Ashley Westwoods goal after 58 seconds and a pair of headers from Andreas Weimann just before halftime. Hull, a point behind Villa, was also unlikely to be hauled in by Norwich but its three-game winless run bodes ill for the FA Cup final against Arsenal on May 17. Regardless of that result, however, Hull will get the Europa League spot offered by the FA Cup courtesy of Arsenal securing fourth place in the league. Southampton beat Swansea 1-0 away thanks to Rickie Lamberts injury-time goal. ' ' '