Sunderland claimed a comfortable victory against strugglers Burnley, whose miserable run without a Premier League win extended to 15 matches.
Once Habib Diarra’s shot deflected off visiting defender Axel Tuanzebe to provide the hosts with a ninth-minute opener, the outcome appeared to be a foregone conclusion.
And so it proved as Sunderland celebrated a 12th game without a home defeat – the longest unbeaten start to a top-flight campaign at home by a newly promoted side since Nottingham Forest in 1977-78.
The hosts, who have exceeded expectations on their return to the Premier League after a nine-year absence, claimed their second goal in the 32nd minute.
Diarra rounded off a sweeping move down the right with a low effort that Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka should have done better with.
However, it was no more than Regis le Bris’ side deserved.
Sunderland played with an intensity and purpose that Burnley simply failed to match and Moroccan Chemsdine Talbi put the gloss on an excellent night’s work from the hosts with a stunning third goal that flew into the top corner from 20 yards.
The success lifted the Black Cats up to eighth in the table – five points off the top four – while the second-bottom Clarets, who have not taken three points since 26 October, remain 11 points from safety.
Sunderland analysis: Afcon stars contribute to home comforts
Habib Diarra scored his first Premier League goal of the season for SunderlandSunderland’s success this term has owed much to being able to turn the Stadium of Light into a fortress.
While there is no suggestion they will be able to emulate Brian Clough’s Forest side, who went the entire season without defeat at the City Ground on their way to winning the old First Division championship, the Black Cats are well placed to set a landmark of their own.
With a 15-match unbeaten home run in 2009-10, Birmingham City hold the record for a newly promoted side in the Premier League era.
Sunderland’s current feat has left them in exalted company too.
Only Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain remain without a home loss this term across Europe’s big five leagues.
While the loss of six first-team players at the Africa Cup of Nations contributed to a recent downturn in form, all those players are now back in the fold, and Sunderland were able to make light of the continued absence of captain Granit Xhaka with an ankle injury.
And Senegal international Diarra – effectively the man standing in for the Switzerland midfielder – played a starring role as he netted his first goal for the club since his summer arrival from Strasbourg.
His driven effort which flicked off Tuanzebe gave the Black Cats’ their earliest league goal since Javier Manquillo’s strike against Chelsea in May 2017 and laid the platform for what followed.
Along with striker Brian Brobbey, the visitors struggled to deal with the threat and direct running of Diarra, who helped his country to Afcon glory.
Sunderland also showed they were equally capable of cutting through the visitors, with Morocco international Talbi’s third strike of the campaign arriving after 10 passes – the joint-longest sequence leading to a league goal for his side this term.
