The last time Burnley were in the Premier League, they won twice at home on the way to a desperate relegation. Goals from Josh Cullen, newly installed as captain, and Jaidon Anthony mean they are already halfway to that tally, while Sunderland were given a harsh lesson in the reality of the top flight after their opening win against West Ham.
Cullen’s predecessor, Josh Brownhill, was instrumental in bringing Burnley up and his replacement set the tone with a fine opener and an assist for the second. Turf Moor was clearly nervous from the off, with memories of earning 10 points here two seasons ago fresh in the mind. The victory was hard-earned through discipline, graft and one of the few moments of quality in the 90 minutes to offer hope that this time may be different for Burnley after becoming a yo-yo club.
Scott Parker, the Burnley manager, said: “I’m absolutely buzzing, first and foremost, for the players and for the fans and everyone involved. We were brilliant.
“The main thing for our first home game, we needed to make these fans believe. We need to make them feel or illustrate to our fans what we’re capable of this year. Our fans were superb. Our players gave them that belief. They’re going to be vitally important this year.
“As a football club, I can’t do this on my own. These 20, 30-odd players can’t do this on their own. It’s going to need the whole club to support, to get behind us, to buckle in at times for the bumpy road and the challenge we face.”
Survival will be built on what happens in home games. On their way to promotion under Parker last season they did not lose , although nine draws indicate they did not always dominate. The defence had a summer shake-up and looked fragile in last week’s loss at Tottenham and they should have been behind within five minutes here.
Granit Xhaka’s free-kick found Dan Ballard, who knocked the ball down to Eliezer Mayenda to shoot from close range, only for Martin Dubravka produce a fine save from a miscue. This would prove to be the only shot on target in a turgid first half.
Burnley will need luck if they are to survive and they thought they had found some. A direct ball was won by Anthony and then Lyle Foster got the better of the substitute Jenson Seelt, before beating Robin Roefs. The goal music blared, Foster ran to the corner to celebrate and did not hear Michael Salisbury’s whistle, the referee having deemed the South African had fouled the defender.
If the first half was devoid of quality, the tenor changed within two minutes of the second. Quilindschy Hartman, who goes by Q in these parts, collected a loose pass on the left and drilled it into Anthony, whose perfect flick found Cullen and the Burnley captain curled the ball into the bottom corner from 15 yards. The video assistant referee tried to ruin the fun with a strangely lengthy check for an offside that never was. Burnley were up and running.
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That alleviated the tension, with concerns of a doomed season from the off. There was, however, cause for worry soon after when the floodlights kept flashing and the game was stopped as it was causing a distraction on the pitch because it is not traditional to have a mid-match lights show.
Burnley were always there to pressure opponents and put bodies on the line. Chasing lost causes and pressing those in black was a key trait to the end, aided by the experience of Kyle Walker and relentless energy provided by Hannibal Mejbri. The performance was summed up by Maxime Estève going down with cramp after making a critical interception. It meant Sunderland were not afforded a chance to equalise.
“It’s not a surprise for me, it’s not a surprise for the players, for the club,” Régis Le Bris, the visiting manager, said of the Premier League’s quality. “I don’t know for the fans, I’m not sure, because they know how tough this league is. You enjoy when you win, but you won’t be too negative when you lose.”
It was the foundations that were tested more than the electricity supply with two minutes remaining. With Sunderland chasing the match, there was space to be enjoyed for once and Cullen flashed a sublime pass through the defence for Anthony to latch on to, before rounding the goalkeeper and finishing. Sometimes it is better to be good than lucky.
