Sunderland make home a fortress in the English Premier League as possible place in Europe beckons

LONDON – Sunderland find themselves in exalted company this season, on a list with some of Europe’s top teams, as they chase down an English Premier League record and a potential berth in continental football next season.

Their 3-0 home win over Burnley on Feb 2 kept up their status as the only side left in the Premier League with an unbeaten home record in this season – a feat that puts them in the same category as European champions Paris Saint-Germain and a cohort of giants like Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, who have also not lost at home this season.

The victory also lifted them up to eighth in the league standings, allowing them to eye a place in Europe next season. The Black Cats have 36 points, just three behind sixth-placed Liverpool.

But manager Regis le Bris insisted that he was keeping focus on the priority of garnering enough points to avoid relegation.

“For me, the target remains the same,” he said.

“The first target is around 40 points, maybe more. We are a newly promoted side and we feel that we can change the momentum. (But) the league is tough. For us, go to 40 and see if we can get more.”

His players, however, have set their sights on a chance to compete in European competition in the next campaign, possibly even in the Champions League.

“We want to reach the top,” said midfielder Noah Sadiki. “If we can, get top six or top five. There are a lot of matches coming, so we have to focus on the next game.”

Sunderland now have the longest unbeaten home start (12 games) to a top-flight campaign by a newly promoted side, since Nottingham Forest went the entire 1977-78 campaign without defeat on home soil and won the old First Division title.

Birmingham City hold the record for the longest unbeaten home run by a newly promoted team in the Premier League era, going 15 matches without a defeat at home in 2009-10.

Against Burnley, Sunderland took the lead through an own goal from Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe, before Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra scored his first league goal since arriving from Strasbourg last July.

Chemsdine Talbi’s second-half rocket ensured the team clinched all three points.

Burnley manager Scott Parker blasted his players after the defeat, which pushed his Premier League strugglers closer to relegation.

Second-bottom Burnley are now 11 points from safety and winless in 15 matches as they slump towards an immediate return to the second tier.

“We were never in this game in any aspect. We looked like a childish team that had no intent about us,” Parker said.

REUTERS, AFP