North East | Sunderland ease to win over relegation threatened Burnley
Sunderland 3 - 0 Burnley
Sunderland eased past struggling Burnley to claim a comfortable victory, extending the visitors’ long wait for a Premier League win to 15 matches.
Author | Lewis Whatley
Stadium | Stadium of Light
Once Habib Diarra’s early effort deflected off Axel Tuanzebe to give the hosts a ninth-minute lead, the contest felt largely settled. That sense only grew as Sunderland went on to record a 12th successive home match without defeat, the longest unbeaten start to a top-flight campaign at home by a newly promoted side since Nottingham Forest in 1977-78.
Back in the Premier League after a nine-year absence, Sunderland have consistently exceeded expectations and they doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute. Diarra finished a slick move down the right with a low shot that Martin Dubravka will feel he should have kept out.
It was no more than Régis Le Bris’ side deserved
The win lifts Sunderland to eighth, five points adrift of the top four. Burnley, second from bottom and without a victory since 26 October, remain 11 points from safety.
The Stadium of Light has been turned into a fortress
While there is no suggestion Sunderland will emulate Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, who went an entire season unbeaten at the City Ground on their way to the old First Division title, the Black Cats are nonetheless well placed to carve out a landmark of their own.
The Premier League era record for a newly promoted side belongs to Birmingham City, who went 15 home matches without defeat in the 2009-10 season, a mark Sunderland are now closing in on.
Their current run places them in distinguished company. Across Europe’s major leagues, only Atlético Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain have yet to lose a home game this season.
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