Diarra’s Dazzling Debut: Sunderland Dominates Burnley in Opening Triumph

SUNDERLAND – In a standout performance on Monday, Habib Diarra led Sunderland to a decisive 3-0 victory over a struggling Burnley team in the Premier League.

The dynamic midfielder, who joined Sunderland from Strasbourg last summer, made a significant impact in the first half. He not only scored a goal but also contributed to another that was deflected into the net. Chemsdine Talbi later added to the scoreline, cementing the Black Cats’ dominant win.

This triumph extended Sunderland’s impressive unbeaten streak at home to 12 matches, setting a record for a newly promoted club. With this victory, Sunderland climbed above Fulham and Everton to secure eighth place in the league standings.

Diarra’s ninth-minute goal came with a bit of luck, as his right-footed attempt took a deflection, leaving Burnley’s goalkeeper, Martin Dubravka, helpless. The deflection resulted in an own goal by Axel Tuanzebe, marking him as the 12th player in Premier League history to score own goals for three different clubs: Manchester United, Ipswich Town, and Burnley.

Diarra’s second goal, however, was all skill. Twenty-three minutes later, he unleashed another powerful shot from a similar position. Although Dubravka managed to get a hand to it, the force of the strike was unstoppable.

Talbi added the third after cutting in from the left and unleashing a superb shot.

Burnley did not have a shot on target and ended the night second-to-last in the table.

Scott Parker’s men have not won in 15 league games since October. The Lancashire side was seven points clear of last-placed Wolves but five behind West Ham and nine adrift of fourth-from-bottom Nottingham Forest.

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