Sunderland delivered a commanding performance at the Stadium of Light on Monday evening, dismantling a woeful Burnley side 3-0 to maintain their remarkable unbeaten home record in the Premier League.
Habib Diarra proved the catalyst for the Black Cats, making his first start since lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy with Senegal.
The midfielder needed just nine minutes to make his mark, his low strike deflecting off the unfortunate Axel Tuanzebe to wrong-foot Martin Dubravka in the Burnley goal.
It represented Sunderland's earliest top-flight goal since May 2017.
Habib Diarra, a £30million signing in the summer, made the biggest impact on the pitch
|REUTERS
The hosts controlled proceedings throughout, with Regis Le Bris's men demonstrating precisely why they remain the only side unbeaten at home across the entire Premier League campaign.
Diarra doubled the advantage shortly after the half-hour mark, latching onto Nordi Mukiele's cross which deflected into his path before firing a powerful effort that Dubravka could only palm into the net.
The Senegalese international's brace marked his first goals for the club since arriving in the summer.
Burnley offered precious little in response, managing just two touches inside the Sunderland penalty area throughout the opening 45 minutes.
The coup de grâce arrived in the 72nd minute when Chemsdine Talbi, another returnee from AFCON duty, produced a moment of genuine brilliance.
Chemsdine Talbi made sure of the result with a sumptuous strike from outside the box
|REUTERS
The winger cut inside from the left flank before unleashing a magnificent 25-yard effort that crashed off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
"I need to watch it back, but I'm really pleased with that," Talbi told Sky Sports afterwards.
The result leaves Burnley in an increasingly perilous position, now sitting 11 points adrift of safety with their winless streak extending to 15 Premier League matches.
Only once in the club's entire top-flight history have the Clarets endured a longer run without victory, a 19-game drought spanning from February 1889 to February 1890.
Perhaps most damning was their complete inability to trouble the Sunderland defence, failing to register a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.
Scott Parker's men have now been responsible for four of the 12 instances this season where a Premier League side has failed to test the opposition goalkeeper.
The visitors remain rooted in 19th place, with their hopes of survival diminishing rapidly.
Parker was scathing in his assessment of his players following the final whistle.
"Terrible"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 2, 2026
"Not acceptable"
Kyle Walker is not impressed after Burnley's 3-0 loss to Sunderland 😳 pic.twitter.com/QfBJva8OXA
"We looked like a childish team that had no intent about us today," the Burnley manager told Sky Sports. "I didn't see a team with purpose or that came to make a mark."
He added: "We were just nowhere near it really. We were never in this game today in any aspect."
Defender Kyle Walker was equally forthright in his criticism.
"Terrible," Walker said of the performance. "We've come here to get something from the game and got nothing, so as a club that's fighting for survival it's not acceptable."
Burnley failed to register a single shot on target against Sunderland
|REUTERS
Walker acknowledged that desire alone cannot rescue Burnley's season.
"Sometimes football matches aren't won on hunger, they're won by using your head and playing the game of football," he admitted.