Sunderland Hammer Burnley 3-0, Blow to Burnley's Relegation Fears

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Sunderland's impressive run continued on Monday as they thrashed Burnley 3-0 at the Stadium of Light, moving up to eighth place and boosting their chances of qualifying for Europe. The Black Cats' victory marked their 10th win at home in the Premier League since promotion from the Championship last season. The match got off to a flying start for Sunderland, with Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra scoring the opening goal in the ninth minute. Diarra's low drive took a deflection off Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe before finding its way past the wrong-footed Martin Dubravka. Sunderland's pressure paid off again in the 32nd minute, with Diarra scoring his second goal of the game. A flowing move involving Enzo Le Fee and Nordi Mukiele ended with Diarra blasting the ball past Dubravka's weak attempted save. Burnley, who are second-bottom in the Premier League table and 11 points from safety, struggled to muster a single shot on target throughout the match. Their woes were compounded in the 72nd minute when Chemsdine Talbi curled an unstoppable strike into the top corner from the edge of the area. The defeat marked Burnley's 15th loss in 24 league games this term, and a defeat against third-bottom West Ham on Saturday could deal a devastating blow to their faint survival hopes. Meanwhile, Sunderland can dream of securing a place in Europe next season after a second win in their three league games.