Burnley vs Sunderland; Premier League
Burnley vs Sunderland. Premier League.
Turf MoorAttendance21,285.
Burnley 2-0 Sunderland: Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony combine to secure victory over Regis Le Bris' fellow newcomers
Report and free match highlights from the Premier League match between Burnley and Sunderland at Turf Moor; Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony each teed the other up for a goal to secure a 2-0 win for the Clarets; Lyle Foster controversially saw his opener ruled out for a foul
Saturday 23 August 2025 21:02, UK
Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony combined twice to secure a 2-0 win for Burnley against fellow newly-promoted side Sunderland.
Cullen guided his effort into the far corner after latching onto a neat flick from Anthony moments after the restart (47), and with just two minutes remaining the 29-year-old returned the favour for his team-mate to double the lead.
The Republic of Ireland international turned creator for the second goal of the afternoon, as his ball set Anthony racing through on goal to round Robin Roefs and seal the win.
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Burnley thought they had taken the lead before the break when Lyle Foster beat Jenson Seelt to the ball and curled his shot into the top corner, only to see his celebrations cut short by the referee's whistle.
Match official Michael Salisbury had blown for a foul from Foster on the Sunderland defender before gaining possession of the ball. VAR confirmed the call swiftly following a review.
"It's a 50/50 call I think, but once he's given the free-kick on-field, there's no way he can really overturn it for me because it probably is just about a foul," former referee Mike Dean said on Soccer Saturday.
"I watched it a couple of times to make sure the referee did blow [before Foster scored].
"The ball's in the back of the net, Michael Salisbury blows the whistle and VAR John Brooks has had a look at it and he's just agreed with the on-field decision."
Sunderland's misery on the afternoon was compounded by an injury to key man Daniel Ballard, who was forced off with a knock in just the ninth minute.
Ballard was at the heart of the biggest chance for the Black Cats before his departure, knocking the ball down for Eliezer Mayenda to sweep home from close range, only to see his effort thwarted by former Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Parker: Massive win for us
Burnley boss Scott Parker is aware of how crucial this win could be against Sunderland, who finished 24 points below his side in the Championship, as both sides look to avoid relegation this season.
"Delighted really, absolutely buzzing for the players and the fans," said Parker. "We were brilliant today and were everything we needed to be.
"They missed a big chance early on, it was a great save from Martin [Dubravka] and we were worthy of the three points.
"It was disappointing with the goal that didn't stand; it was soft. We defended really well after that and then hit them on the counter.
"This is a massive three points for us. To get three points on the board in the second game, I am delighted."
Le Bris: Small mistake cost us the game
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris claimed a "small mistake" after the restart led to Burnley's opener and completely changed the game at Turf Moor.
He said: "Disappointed. We started well, our first half was positive and we created two chances. We dominated the first half.
"At the beginning of the second half, we made a small mistake and conceded the goal.
"Then the game changed completely. They dropped into their aggressive block and we struggled to create chances."
When asked for an update on Ballard's injury, Le Bris added: "He is always really important. We will wait until Monday for a diagnosis. It was a groin injury."
Promoted sides showing the fight to stay up
Sky Sports' Patrick Rowe:
It took until October for all three promoted sides to win a game in the Premier League last season. This season, it has only taken two weeks.
It is early days for Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds United but all three teams are showing the bravery, determination and quality to secure points in the top-flight.
Whether or not they can maintain this momentum throughout the course of the entire season remains to be seen. However, the early signs are promising.
All three promoted teams dropped back into the Championship last season - that might not be the case this time round.
