Diarra stars as Sunderland sweep lacklustre Burnley aside to move up to eighth

0:07This podcast has been brought to you by the Sky Sports Premier League podcast. The Stadium of Light was the venue for Monday night football this week as Sunderland hosted Burnley. Here's how things sounded when the full-time whistle blew.

0:27What a stellar night for Sutherland. Their unbeaten home run continues. And it was never really in trouble. I mean, Diara, he thought he had two. One's been given as an own goal, but he certainly got on the score sheet and certainly stood out. One of many Sutherland players to do so. It seems to me Telby with a fantastic goal to get Sunderland's third that came in the second half. A really enjoyable night for the home supporters. Another miserable one for Burnley who are sinking and sinking fast. Running out of time to turn this around. There's limited side that can do so as it stands. Sorry night for Scott Parker's side.

1:12Fantastic one for Sunderland. The final score at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland 3, Burnley 0. Sunderland's most emphatic win since the opening day 3-0 victory over West Ham United and thoroughly deserved Enzo Le Fay at the heart of everything good and creative about the performance. Terrific finish from Talby, Noah Siddiqui and the Diarra bossing the midfield. It all went right for Sunderland who restricted Burnley to the lowest XG that any team has had in a game this season. and if their race isn't run yet, then surely Scott Parker knows that they're not far off. But this was a great night yet again for Sunderland.

1:54You're up to 36 points now.

2:00And as the Sunderland fans sing, perhaps even they know that 36 points is pretty much them over the line in terms of next season. I think most people thought this was long the case, but to confirm no team in the last 10 years has been relegated with 36 points or more. And really, Sunderland are looking up into the top eight and just three points behind Liverpool. Four points behind Chelsea, who are in fifth, and that may well be Champions League football next season. It's a pipe dream, but it is still achievable. And for Burnley, escaping relegation seems a bit of a pipe dream now. There were 24 points between these two teams last season.

2:41It's now 21 the gap between them the other way. And Burnley are 11 points from safety with 14 games left to play in the season. They might need six or seven more wins. They've only won three matches so far.

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3:48Welcome back to the Sky Sports Premier League Podcast. Let's get back to the studio for more reaction to today's game. Talby. Talby's at that one. What a fight. It's a special goal on a special Sunderland evening in the Stadium of Light. Saved their best till last, didn't they? And no one is going to get tired of seeing that strike from Chems Dean Talby, who's added goals at Anfield and Stamford Bridge, to that one now at the Stadium of Light as well. On a really satisfying night for Sunderland. Nine wins this season now, seven have come in front of their own fans, where they remain unbeaten. Here is Chems Dean Talby.

4:31and Noah Siddiqui with Lindsay Hooper. Begin by telling me about that team performance. Comprehensive tonight, 3-0 victory. How did it feel out there? It was really important for us to bounce back after what happened at West Ham. And I think in front of our own supporters, we did what we need to do. We got the three points and we can go home with a good feeling. And was it that team element as well that just really pleased you? There were a lot of passes, a lot of players involved in that first goal. Yeah, we did a great job today. A lot of passes, a lot of quality on the ball. And today we finished the action well, I think.

5:07So really pleased with that and we need to continue. Chamsdine, your goal, it was just taken brilliantly, hit the underside of the crossbar to go in. Did it feel as sweet as it looked when it left your foot? Yeah, for sure. I need to watch it back. But yeah, I'm really pleased with that. We train in this every day on the pitch. So yeah, today is goal. I hope to get more goals and I really appreciate it. The sleeping celebration, what was that? Yeah, it's... Noah's laughing. It's one of my celebrations I did when I was in Bruges. So yes, I keep it here, so I'm really happy. Have you heard anything from the manager yet on the way down the tunnel in terms of how pleased he was?

5:46Oh, no, yeah. We didn't have the time to get back to the dressing room. I think he's going to talk when we're getting back there. 36 points. That feels like that's enough now, doesn't it? And where do you want to kick on from here? No, it's never enough. We want more. How much more? We want to reach the top. If we can get the top six, top five, we will go through. It's a lot of match coming, so we need to take match by match and focus on the next match. And just a word as well on Habib Diara, brilliant performance from him. What do you think he brought you tonight? Lots of energy, composure on the ball and winning drills.

6:24That's all we ask from him, and that's what he does best. So I think the club did good to Bayern this summer and we're all happy to see him play here. Thank you very much. Well done. Thank you. No problem. Sunderland's young stars shining tonight, not just Diara, but also those two, Siddiqui and Talby, with a stunning third goal. Good night for Sunderland, Jamie. It was, yeah. And in the opening few minutes, Bairn were keeping the ball, but that doesn't worry Sunderland, even when they're at home. They've got a great home record there, but it's not always about taking the game to the opposition.

6:54At times, they get in that low block and they just wait for their moment. Yeah, it was a big win, as I said. They mentioned in the interview there the lads about the West Ham game and that hasn't happened too often this season but it's always nice to bounce back, isn't it, but a result in a performance like that. You also heard they're targeting top five as well. I heard the top. The top. Who knows if they win all their games. Why not? Different type of goals they scored tonight. Yeah, I mean, I love this sort of combination play, Diada there and then to the striker, Robbie, who's just fantastic, hold-up play.

7:24They do call it back a few years when I was playing. They've really excelled with that sort of formation with the one striker, the two number eights, high up the pitch. And this is what they've been really asking for from those eights, Jamie, to start contributing goals as well. Yeah, and listen, as we mentioned before, the game, Diarra's cost a few quid in terms of Sunderland this season. Lots of signings have done really well, but you always want your big money signings to do well. And maybe the second half of the season will be for him. and maybe Sunderland can even kick on from what we've seen in the first half of the season because as I said, they had real high hopes for him.

8:00But unfortunately, as we found out at half-time and the Sunderland players found out at half-time, that goal wasn't the artist, but this one was. Yeah, he was very pleased to get off the mark, wasn't he, here? And he's had an interesting few weeks. He's been away at AFCON. He had a good tournament with Senegal but then was actually suspended for the final. So he missed out on all of that. So he's probably got some of that driving him on as well. Yeah, and listen to the little disappointments that we have in the game, all of us, and you want to bounce back. That will have hurt him, missing that.

8:29They've enjoyed winning it, but this will do him the world of good. And that goal is his goal. Maybe a little bit fortunate. But it was unfortunate on the first one, if you like. It's been given as an own goal. Maybe a little bit fortunate with the goalkeeper there on the second. What about this here, Jamie? We've talked about this already. We've had a look at it. He slows the game down and then bursts into action. Yeah, because I think he realises now I can go 1v1. If I can get half a yard, there's nobody covering this defender. There's going to be space for me to get a shot off. Just keep an eye on him here between the lines.

9:00Keep scanning. Looking over the shoulder once, twice over the left shoulder now, and the second time over the right shoulder. Look, he thinks it's 2v1. As soon as Kyle Walker's not there, he moves to the side. No midfield cover. And brilliant. We've seen a few of these goals this season. Saw one from Fulham also. Kevin, that amazing strike yesterday, wasn't it? Yes. And they all seem to try and hit that underside of the bar. It's perfection, I suppose. Yeah, and as I said, every goal looks better, doesn't it? Off the underside of the bar. Great strike from Chemsine Talby, his third of the season.

9:31And this is the company that Sunderland are keeping now and beating in major European leagues this season. Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Napoli, PSG. Wow. And Sunderland. I don't think any of them, any Sunderland fans realistically would have thought this was the case at this stage of the season. And we're sort of stepping into uncharted territory for promoted sides here in terms of the length of the unbeaten home record. And these are the sides that have gone an entire season in the Premier League unbeaten at home. They are the, what we used to call the big six. Chelsea have done it five times, Liverpool five, Arsenal and Man United three, City twice, and even Spurs have done it.

10:14Seven games left, Jamie. Let's show you them. Oh, I know what's next.

10:22Oh, little midweek number under the lights. Liverpool there. It would be really special, wouldn't it? Listen, I'd love to say yes, but Liverpool need the three points. I mean, not just for the teams. I mean, Sunderland are three points behind Liverpool. And, you know, they go for Europe, Champions League position. So, as I said, that'll be a big night. And as you've seen already, I think, Jamie, Sunderland save their best for the big games, the big nights. Manchester City going there, Arsenal going there. And you heard the strength of that Roker roar, which is alive and well at the Stadium of Light.

10:56Right, when we come back, we will hear from the Sunderland boss on tonight's action. Regis Labris must be happy after with that reaction to that defeat at West Ham. And Scott Parker perhaps wondering which way next.

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11:52Well, I'm afraid this will go down as a very disappointing night for Burnley. No win in 15 now. And soundly beaten here at the Stadium of Light by Sunderland.

12:07This is the breakdown. 14 shots to five. But Burnley for the fourth time this season without a shot on target. Those five shots from Burnley, this is amazing. They've managed, amassed an expected goals total of 0.06. Wow. From five shots. Wow. Sunderland with 1.47 and all of that, despite Burnley having more of the ball. But yet again, we've seen that that's not a problem for Sunderland. They got the job done. Let's hear from Kyle Walker on this. He's with Lindsay Hooper. Kyle, I want to get your captain's view on that performance tonight against Sunderland. Terrible. Any further expansion on that?

12:45Why do you think it wasn't great? Well, we've come here to get something from the game and we've got nothing. So, you know, as a club that's fighting for survival, to put in that sort of performance is not acceptable. Do you think there might have been an element of being somewhat daunted by the home form here, the Stadium of Light, everything that Sunderland have managed to achieve since being promoted? I think you take that into consideration but it's 22 men on the football pitch and it's who wants it more and they wanted it more tonight than us Are you not seeing around you then in the dressing room enough hunger, enough belief?

13:22I'd say the hunger's there I'd say the lads work hard day in, day out the hunger's there but sometimes football matches aren't won on hunger they're won by using your head and playing the game of football when And certain situations arise in a game. You're meant to deal with them in a manner that's, you know, obviously appropriate for that situation. Now we just, for whatever reason, don't seem to do that. Thank you very much. Appreciate you coming on. Thank you. Well, he's used to fighting in the Premier League, but normally at the opposite end of the table, isn't he, with Manchester City? It must be a strange feeling.

13:58Yeah, I think we've been a player of the level of Kyle Walker, one of the best defenders we've seen in the Premier League. As you said, you're fighting for the top honours and then you drop down and you think you want to prolong your career. I mean, it's probably a completely different mindset. And you're probably looking at some of the players that lack quality, as you'd expect. But I don't think as you go down the Premier League or down the divisions, it's always just about ability. And I think he's mentioned that in his interview, maybe a mindset, a mentality as well. Maybe they're just accepting defeat.

14:28It almost feels like the white flag has been sort of flown for a long time, I think, for Bairn. we mentioned at the start of the show, you almost have a feeling that it links to Norwich a few years ago, where it felt every year they come up, they go down the next year, then they come back, and eventually you stop coming back up. And I think if you're a Burnley fan watching, not just tonight, but this season, you'll understand the season will be difficult. When you look at Sunderland, we finished, what did you say, 20-odd points behind Burnley? 24 last season. 24 points behind Burnley last season in the Premier League, and you see that.

15:02Now, I know there's been a lot more recruitment and could Scott Parker have been helped out more by the hierarchy of both of them? Possibly, yeah, but they've got to start making a better fist of it now, you know, barely when they come up. It's, you know, it's nowhere near good enough. Let's get Scott Parker's take on it because he's talking to Lindsay. Scott, what have you got to say after that performance? Was there an element of being a bit daunted there in the first half? I think the riding factor is today. Obviously, we're just nowhere near it, really. and you come into a difficult place obviously a difficult stadium and a team that have not lost here we um we fell way short of just the core hard basics of the game and what was going to be needed today really um and yeah it was never never for one second in this game today on many many aspects really and there's some hugely hugely disappointing can you put your finger on why you didn't get that from the players?

15:58Not really, because we've come out of some good results. Is it easier to play against them teams? Is it easier with the fixtures we've just come out of in terms of Man United, Liverpool and Spurs, that you know what you need to bring to them games as a player? And we certainly brought it to die for one reason or another. We've not done that. I thought we looked at times at a childish team that never really had any intent about us whatsoever in every phase of our game, really. Defensively, just like I said, the basis of the game, we didn't really have any intent. I didn't see a team with real purpose or came here today to make a mark, really.

16:36And that's what hurts me, first and foremost, because that's an ingredient that if you haven't got that, then you're always in this league. You're never going to get close to winning games or at least getting something out of it. Is it hard for you not to take that personally in some respects? Yeah, definitely. It's what I stand for, really. It's everything that a 20-year career and four years or five years in management, it's everything I stand for. And my teams, if there's one thing that I try and ingrain in them, is that fight. Now, I understand we're in a difficult situation. I understand that that belief at times or that frailty in a team can come out.

17:12But that can never, ever be the case. And in this division, more than ever, if you fall short of that, then you've got practically no chance really and tonight was proven that. You are running out of time. You're running out of matches. What's next? We need to reboot and it's very easy to say. Of course it is and we need to go over this game and you're right, we are running out of time and evidence suggests that so far this year we've just fallen short and I can stand here in front of a camera and I can say you've fine margins and we've missed points in the fine margins but the facts are we sit where we sit for a reason.

17:49and, yeah, as always, like I've done a majority of my life, really, in these moments of adversity and these moments of a little bit of pain, we come back, we try and come back stronger, as always. We'll try and come back better and try and keep improving. Tonight, there ain't little elements of improvement. There's a lot, and we need to go over that. Only one player brought in in the January transfer window, and I think fans are wondering if there was a missed opportunity there not to get more players through the door. Do you feel that? I think like anything, January comes and there's loads and loads of different variables.

18:25Like I've always said, of course we were active and we wanted players in and certainly I wanted players in, but as always there's loads and loads of different variables on whether you can afford them players, whether we're willing to do that and there's different elements. So that's not been the case and we've not managed to do that. We go with what we've got. I don't think that's the reason tonight, to be honest with you. Tonight's just about us having a long, hard look at ourselves and trying to produce a performance, what's needed when you come to places like this and when you go to any game in this division.

18:59And that's my main focus now. And is the main amount of work that you've got to do mentally now, going into these next two games, you look at West Ham Palace opportunities, but mentally, are they in the right place? They will be, yeah. I'm sure we'll get them into that. And it's been like that for the majority of the season. you're a club that's newly promoted and you're going into the big wide world of the Premier League and it's been tough for us so of course there's always a mental side to things where you need to constantly be aware of and you need to constantly try and keep that there and that's a struggle at times when you're not winning games and you are down where you are that can become a struggle and we need to make sure that's not the case our fans deserve that and the travelling supporters today they didn't get what they wanted Thanks Scott, thank you Thank you.

19:44It's a tough assignment he's got there, isn't it? What would you do, Jamie, if you were thrown into that? There you go, there's Burnley. You're going to sort it out. You're on 11 points from safety. We've signed one player for you, James Ward-Prowse, this January. Can you try and keep us up, please? Well, there's no doubt that that is not enough. If Burnley have got any idea of putting up some sort of fight to stay in the Premier League, we're not talking about a situation like Wolves here where they look cut adrift. But even to be fair to Wolves, in the last couple of months under Rob Edwards, they've looked a lot stronger, a lot more competitive.

20:17But I think there's almost been a realisation that Burnley hadn't had the start of the season or certainly halfway through the season that Leeds have had, that Sunderland have had. And I think there's just an acceptance at the club. Why would we spend money now? And maybe we invest a little bit more in the summer. We're going down, Burnley are going to go down. And I think that's been acceptance at the club in this January transfer window, but it feels like it's been acceptance at the club for far too long, not just with Scott Parker, with different managers as well, and it's just been far too easy to play against.

20:50Where, though, are Sunderland setting their targets? Here is Regis Lebris with Lindsay Hooper. Regis, you said you wanted a response after the West Ham performance. You got one tonight. What did you make of that reaction from the players? Yeah, it was really important to react because we were really disappointed after West Ham. no energy. Finally, we were not Sunderland. And today it was important to react, to show at least our way of playing with intensity, with bravery, with the ability to press high and to create chances. So this answer is really important because in the Premier League, it's not easy to win games.

21:33And today I'm really pleased. I looked down on the sidelines a few times. You were pretty delighted with quite a few of the moves. I think the teamwork and in particular that Talbi finish as well. Yeah, it was a brilliant goal and I think it shows that he's confident and supported by his teammates because it wasn't an easy attempt and shooting out of the box like that shows that you feel the confidence and the support of your teammates. There was a nice moment pre-match where Habib Diara got a really resounding reception from the crowd coming back from AFCON as a winner. and then he puts in that sort of performance.

22:11How did you rate his match? Yeah, when you score two goals and you work hard for the squad, I think it's perfect for a comeback as a starter with the squad. We needed freshness. And I think even if they were away during the AFCON and we struggled with a short squad, now we have their energy, their positivity, and it's like a new signing. so it's really important for us and I hope it will be the case for the next few weeks I believe the first goal has gone down as an own goal but I guess you'll be telling him it's his Yeah, absolutely, absolutely but yeah, we worked hard and I think we were more Sunderland today and it's a good reaction Tonight, whilst the match has been playing an announcement has been made about a new signing Nilsson Angulo and a lot of fans wanted a winger you've delivered that what will he add?