Sunderland were comfortable winners over Burnley on Monday night
Sunderland got straight back to winning ways with a 3-0 win over Burnley at the Stadium of Light on Monday night.
Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and these were his key conclusions from the game...
Burnley edge closer to the drop
There will be much praise for Sunderland when assessing this game and rightly so, but any analysis should start by acknowledging that this was a wretched display from the visitors. Sunderland are a very good defensive side, but Burnley did not muster a single shot on target and their XG didn't even cross 0.1. The post-match assessments from Scott Parker and Kyle Walker were withering, reflecting a team that knew they had fallen well short on the night.
There were brief moments in the first half where Sunderland looked as if they played themselves into a little bit of trouble, but Burnley lacked the quality to do much with it. Even their set pieces were poor on the night; a more comfortable Premier League evening Sunderland could barely have wished for. While it's never wise to draw too many conclusions from one game, the trajectory of the two teams was pretty obvious and it's notable how much Régis Le Bris's side have progressed since the two teams last met.
Sunderland are getting better and fans can be optimistic about the months ahead
That Sunderland are struggling for goals and form on the road this season is obvious and unless they can improve on that front, they will struggle to punch their way much higher in the table even if this staggering home record continues. What's notable, however, is that at a crucial part of the season they are not losing momentum but in fact gaining confidence and options.
There has been a widespread neutral opinion this season, based not unreasonably off some very mediocre attacking statistics, that a significant drop off was inevitable for Sunderland this season once the adrenaline that came with their early-season form wore off. That it was only a matter of time before results began to more closely align with performances that suggested the club were over performing in both boxes. It wasn't an argument entirely without merit, but it missed something that was probably more obvious to those who watch the team on a regular basis. That a number of players were bound to improve with more game time, and that Le Bris was steadily gaining more options in attacking areas as the season developed. Nordi Mukiele overlapping at right back, Enzo Le Fée moving infield and growing in confidence, Brian Brobbey leading the line - and now Habib Diarra breaking into the box. Sunderland may not be a free-flowing, sparkling footballing side at this stage but they are becoming less dependent on set pieces and second phases from dead balls as the campaign develops. No one knows what the rest of the season will hold but this is not a side running out of steam and drifting towards the summer, it's a group of players actually growing in confidence and poise at the level. Just rewatch the goals to see it: the first-time flick from Brobbey for the opener, Le Fée's floated pass out to Mukiele for the second, Chemsdine Talbi's decisive effort for the third.
Sunderland's next two league games are about as tough as they get, but there's good reason to think that they are trending upwards as a team.
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Brian Brobbey is emerging as Sunderland's x factor
This was one of those centre forward performances where all that was missing was the goal. Not that it mattered, Brobbey had been so dominant in his battle with Burnley's centre backs and so effective at bringing his team mates into play that the game was settled long before he had his best chances in the contest. Maxime Esteve was one of if not the very best centre backs in the Championship last season, but he had no answer to Brobbey's quality here. The striker is showing not just his strength but his pace and selflessness as a player. He's beginning to look like a bargain addition for Sunderland is surely playing his way into World Cup contention.
Le Bris sticks by Trai Hume - and is vindicated by a strong performance
Though Lutsharel Geertruida might ordinarily have had a strong claim to come into the XI off the back of that defeat at West Ham United, the transfer talks that were taking place just as Le Bris was finalising his preparations for this game must surely have put an end to that possibility. Even so, Le Bris could easily have taken Hume out of the XI after a difficult afternoon at West Ham United and brought in a more orthodox winger. Hume more than vindicated his head coach's faith and really that should come as no great surprise: he had been very effective in those role a week previous at home to Crystal Palace and has now been a very consistent performer from the moment Le Bris arrived at the club. The decision to stick with Hume also brought the best out of Nordi Mukiele, who had the protection he needed to break forward to consistently good effect.
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