Habib Diarra marked his first Premier League start since September with a decisive display as Sunderland brushed aside Burnley 3-0, extending the Clarets' winless run to 15 league games and reinforcing the gulf between the two newly-promoted sides.
The 22-year-old midfielder was involved in the ninth-minute opener that went down as an Axel Tuanzebe own goal, then powered in Sunderland's second before Chemsdine Talbi's brilliant long-range strike from outside the box completed the scoring after the interval, on a night when Burnley laboured to just 0.06 expected goals and failed to register a shot on target for the fourth match in a row.
Victory kept Sunderland's impressive home record intact in the top flight this season and lifted the Black Cats up to eighth, while 19th-placed Burnley once again missed the chance to close the gap on 18th-placed West Ham and now sit a distant 21 points behind the side they finished above in last season's promotion race.
Early Tuanzebe Own Goal Hands Sunderland the Initiative