Sunderland ran out emphatic winners against Burnley at the Stadium of Light
Tired cliché though it might be, Sunderland’s major injury boost really is like a new January signing for Régis Le Bris.
Brian Brobbey excelled and Nordi Mukiele was superb in this emphatic Sunderland win, but Habib Diarra’s return to the starting XI underlined the quality and intent he can bring to the side from here on in. His opening strike may now have have been ruled as an Axel Tuanzebe own goal and his second thanks in large part to some poor goalkeeping from Martin Dubravka, but Diarra’s ability to break into the box wreaked havoc throughout.
Those combinations down the right flank undid a spirited but limited Burnley side on countless occasions, and in the end the Black Cats were more than worthy of their comfortable win. To win and so comfortably without Granit Xhaka is another step forward for this side, and a fine strike from Chemsdine Talbi capped a good evening’s work for the Black Cats;
Diarra had been one of two changes that Le Bris had made to his starting XI for the game, with Talbi also returning on the left flank. The Black Cats started brightly, both teams looking to play opn the break and quickly into their target man. That gave Sunderland the edge, with Brian Brobbey causing major problems for the Burnley defence on the off.
It was his superb first-time flick with back to goal that set Diarra away for his opener, and though the midfielder benefited from a deflection to take the ball past Dubravka, it was early reward for both his and Sunderland’s intent. Burnley looked shaken by the setback as Brobbey continued to bring his team mates into play, and for a brief spell it looked as if the visitors might go under. It was an odd opening half hour in that though Sunderland moved the ball through the lines nicely, but Burnley kept their shape well and at times pressed with aggression. It led to some genuinely nervy moments for the Sunderland defence, but the visitors lacked the quality they needed to turn that into chances. As the half hour mark passed, Burnley had not registered a shot in anger.
Diarra benefited from a little more luck for his second as Dubravka pushed his shot over his own goal line, but it was another nice break from Sunderland as Le Fee weighted a lovely pass to Mukiele on the overlap, the full back’s low cross eventually running for the midfielder. Both goals had an element of fortune, but reflected Sunderland’s growing threat from open play over the last couple of months. It had not been an entirely straightforward first half, but their lead was comfortable, deserved and a sign of how quickly they have progressed against a team who beat them to automatic promotion last season.
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Scott Parker made a swift change at the break, bringing on Josh Laurent to give his side an extra body in midfield. It allowed the visitors to completely take charge of possession but Sunderland were happy enough in their low block and limiting the opposition to few chances.
Having come through the initial wave of pressure without ceding much, Sunderland had the best opening of the half when Brobbey gathered a pass from Diarra and drew a good stop from Dubravka low to his left, Mukiele first to the loose ball but firing over the bar. The second half was following a similar pattern to the first, Burnley with spells of promise but Sunderland the best moments with Brobbey and Diarra the two most decisive players.
Brobbey came close to adding a third when another low cross from Mukiele on the overlap just ran through hos legs, but that merely allowed Talbi to gather. The winger cut inside from the left and curled a stunning effort in off the crossbar, Dubravka flying high to his left but getting nowhere near the ball. It was a brilliant goal and a fair refection of Sunderland’s dominance in the game.
Burnley’s challenge was now entirely extinguished, Sunderland dominating the closing stages and going close to adding a fourth when Hume had an effort blocked at close range. It was a genuinely routine victory for Sunderland, whose top-half ambitions remain firmly alive as a result.
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