Sunderland strengthened their bid for European qualification with a commanding 3-0 victory over Burnley at the Stadium of Light, extending a strong recent home record against the Clarets and underlining their dominance on Wearside this season, Softfootball reports.
Burnley arrived still frustrated after conceding late in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham last time out, and that sense of misfortune followed them into this contest almost immediately. Inside the opening 10 minutes, Habib Diarra’s strike took a heavy deflection off Axel Tuanzebe, completely wrong-footing Martin Dúbravka and giving the hosts an early advantage.
The setback knocked the wind out of Scott Parker’s side, who struggled to settle as Sunderland repeatedly found space in advanced areas. Chemsdine Talbi came close to doubling the lead when left unmarked in the box, volleying narrowly wide, but the pressure eventually told again just after the half-hour mark. Diarra struck for the second time, steadying himself before firing a shot that Dúbravka could only help over the line.
Burnley reached the interval having barely threatened in the final third, a worrying continuation of their struggles after letting points slip against Spurs. Parker shuffled his pack at the break, but while the visitors showed more intent early in the second half, their attacking output remained blunt.
Sunderland always looked the more likely to score again. Brian Brobbey tested Dúbravka from close range before Nordi Mukiele blazed the rebound over, and the decisive blow eventually arrived midway through the half. Talbi, recently back from AFCON 2025 duty with Morocco — where he featured sparingly as the Atlas Lions lost the final to Senegal — marked his return to club football in style, curling a sensational 25-yard effort into the top corner to make it 3-0.
That goal extinguished any lingering Burnley hopes, and only a last-ditch intervention from Maxime Estève prevented the scoreline from becoming even heavier late on. In truth, the visitors were fortunate to escape without further damage.
After the game ended, Sunderland via its official X handle, shared the full time image confirming its win over Burnley today. They posted:
STADIUM OF LIGHT: FORTRESS 😍🏰 SUNBUR
The result breathes fresh life into Sunderland’s European ambitions and maintains their status as the only unbeaten home side in the Premier League this season. For Burnley, though, it was another sobering afternoon that compounded the disappointment of last week’s late collapse, leaving Parker with plenty to ponder as the pressure mounts.
