SUNDERLAND: Sunderland’s record signing Habib Diarra began to pay back his fee with a leading role as the hosts easily beat struggling Burnley 3-0 on Monday to move up to eighth in the Premier League standings.

Diarra’s ninth-minute shot took a deflection off Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe and although initially credited to the midfielder, it was later changed to an own goal.

But Diarra, freshly returned from winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, made sure of his name on the scoresheet with a close-range effort in the 32nd minute, his first goal for Sunderland since his move from Strasbourg in a reported club-record 30-million-pound ($40.99 million) deal.

Chemsdine Talbi scored in the 72nd minute with a curling long-range strike from outside the penalty area to seal a comfortable victory for Sunderland, who remain the only side yet to lose a home game in the Premier League this season.

They were never under much threat from Burnley, who remain second from bottom in the standings, 11 points from safety, and are now without a win in their last 15 league outings as they face relegation.

Burnley manager Scott Parker blasted his “childish” players after the defeat at Stadium of Light pushed the Premier League strugglers closer to relegation.

“We were just nowhere near it really. We were never in this game in any aspect. We looked like a childish team that had no intent about us,” Parker said.

“I didn’t see a team with purpose or that came to make a mark. I understand that we are in a difficult moment, but in this division, more than ever, we need to reboot.

“We are running out of time. We sit where we sit for a reason. We must try and come back stronger and keep improving.”

Burnley defender Kyle Walker echoed Parker’s damning assessment.

“Terrible. 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,” he said.

“It’s 22 men on a football pitch, it’s about who wants it more and they wanted it more than us.”

Asked if Sunderland could push for a place in Europe, Le Bris said: “For me, the target remains the same. The first target is around 40 points, maybe more.

“We are a newly-promoted side and we feel that we can change the momentum. The league is tough. For us, go to 40 and see if we can get more.”

Burnley did not manage a single shot on goal in the game and with games beginning to run out are looking more likely to be heading back to the second-tier Championship.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2026