02/02/26 04:21:00
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02/02 16:19 CST Diarra gets Sunderland off on the right foot in drubbing of
Burnley
Diarra gets Sunderland off on the right foot in drubbing of Burnley
SUNDERLAND, England (AP) --- Habib Diarra turned in a decisive first half
performance to set Sunderland on its way to a comfortable 3-0 win over
struggling Burnley in the Premier League on Monday.
The midfielder signed from Strasbourg last summer scored one and had another
deflected into the net during a commanding first half, and Chemsdine Talbi
completed the scoring for the Black Cats.
Sunderland's unbeaten home run was extended to 12 games --- a record for a
promoted side --- and the team moved above Fulham and Everton into eighth place
in the table.
There was a healthy dose of fortune about Diarra's ninth-minute opener, as his
right-foot shot took a nasty deflection to wrong-foot Burnley goalkeeper Martin
Dubravka. The touch was later given as an own goal by Axel Tuanzebe, making him
the 12th player in Premier League history to score three own goals for three
different clubs (Manchester United, Ipswich Town and Burnley).
However, there was nothing lucky about Diarra's second, which he fired from
almost exactly the same position 23 minutes later. Dubravka got a hand to the
fierce shot but could not stop it.
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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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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