Regis Le Bris was asked before kick-off whether his Sunderland side could go through the entire Premier League campaign unbeaten at home.
The softly-spoken Frenchman smiled at his inquisitor and was typically non-committal but the action of his players spoke far louder.
In swatting aside a doomed Burnley outfit courtesy of goals from AFCON stars Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi, Sunderland made it 12 league games without defeat at the Stadium of Light this term.
It is a remarkable record for a newly-promoted side and this latest success lifted them up to eighth – just three points behind champions Liverpool.
Across Europe’s top leagues, little more than a handful of clubs have yet to lose on their turf in the 2025-26 campaign.
The list includes Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Juventus, with Sunderland the only Premier League side to feature.
Axel Tuanzebe scored an own goal for Burnley as his doomed side lost 3-0 against Sunderland
Habib Diarra scored the second goal for Sunderland as his team romped to victory on Monday
Regis Le Bris’s outfit have now gone 12 league games without defeat at the Stadium of Light
Credit to Le Bris, of course. Unheralded and largely unknown when he arrived in the summer of 2024, the 50-year-old has completely transformed the fortunes of a club who have spent too many years in the doldrums in the past two decades.
This latest success came after a run of just one win in seven games, so was important for Sunderland’s self-belief as they chase an unlikely European qualification.
Watching the first half unfold, it was easy to forget that Sunderland finished 24 points behind Burnley last season.
Le Bris guided his men to promotion via the Championship play-off final and a lavish recruitment drive followed.
Among the new faces was Diarra, a £30million capture from Strasbourg who recently helped Senegal to win AFCON was suspended for that stormy final victory over Morocco.
This was his first home appearance since returning from AFCON and he certainly made his mark against a sluggish Burnley side who have now gone 15 games without a win.
In the ninth minute, Diarra played a one-two with Brian Brobbey before firing low and hard from 12 yards.
His effort deflected in off Axel Tuanzebe and it went down as an own-goal but poured confidence into Le Bris’ players.
Chemsdine Talbi scored a stunner with his left foot to secure Sunderland’s impressive victory
Scott Parker’s Burnley are sat in 19th having won just three Premier League games this season
Diarra, 22, soon claimed his maiden Premier League strike in the 32nd minute, collecting Nordi Mukiele’s right-wing cross and drilling a shot past Martin Dubravka after his initial attempt was blocked.
Burnley, 11 points adrift of safety, showed nothing and Sunderland stretched their lead in the 72nd minute in stunning fashion when Talbi cut in from the left flank and curled a delightful shot into the far corner.
After scoring away to Chelsea and Liverpool, it marked the Moroccan’s first goal at the Stadium of Light.
Le Bris, whose side made light of the absence of injured captain Granit Xhaka, said: ‘Absolutely I’m proud of our home record.
‘It’s part of the identity of the club and the supporters can dream if they like. I didn’t set a limit before the season.’
Burnley counterpart Scott Parker spoke of failings in the past two transfer windows and admitted: ‘We fell way short of the core basics that you need – we never looked like laying a glove on Sunderland.
‘Even our supporters were singing how bad we were. Tonight was just unacceptable and we’re running out of time.’
