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 Dubravka 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 Dubravka could only help over the line.
