Premier League returnees Sunderland endured a tough afternoon as they fell 2-0 to fellow premier league returnees Burnley at Turf Moor, with second-half goals from Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony sealing the win for the hosts.
The Black Cats, who were back in top-flight action after years in the Championship, started brightly and even had the first real chance of the game in the third minute.
Eliezer Mayenda’s shot from close range was well saved by Martin Dúbravka after good work from Dan Ballard. However, Sunderland’s early momentum was disrupted when Ballard suffered an injury inside five minutes, forcing an early substitution with Jenson Seelt coming on.
Burnley gradually settled and began asserting control, with Hannibal Mejbri and Lesley Ugochukwu testing Sunderland from range.
Granit Xhaka and Simon Adingra tried to wrestle back control for the visitors, but the Clarets finished the half stronger. Jaidon Anthony came close with a header just before the break, though the first half ended goalless.
The breakthrough came almost immediately after the restart. In the 46th minute, Anthony turned provider, slipping a clever pass into the path of Josh Cullen, who slotted a precise finish into the bottom corner to put Burnley ahead.
Sunderland attempted a response through Trai Hume and Omar Alderete, both seeing shots blocked, but Burnley continued to look sharper in attack.
A flurry of substitutions followed on both sides, with Sunderland introducing Patrick Roberts, Enzo Le Fée and Marc Guiu to add spark, while Burnley freshened things up with Zian Flemming, Loum Tchaouna and Joe Worrall.
The decisive second goal arrived in the 87th minute. Josh Cullen turned creator this time, threading a through ball to Anthony, who finished emphatically into the roof of the net to make it 2-0.
Sunderland’s misery was almost compounded in stoppage time when Tchaouna rattled the post with a long-range effort.
Despite battling hard, Sunderland rarely troubled Dúbravka after their early chance and will need to quickly adjust to the pace and intensity of Premier League football.
Burnley, meanwhile, were clinical when it mattered, securing a deserved victory to kick off their campaign in style.
