Kyle Walker says Burnley defeat at Sunderland is “not acceptable”

Kyle Walker delivered a savage assessment of Burnley’s survival fight after their Premier League woes deepened with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The Clarets were outplayed from start to finish on Wearside, extending their winless league run to 15 matches and leaving them second-bottom in the table, 11 points adrift of safety. Speaking after the final whistle, Walker made it clear that Burnley’s current level is falling well short of what is required in a relegation battle.

Kyle Walker did not attempt to sugar-coat Burnley’s performance when speaking to Sky Sports.

“Terrible. We've come here to get something from the game and got nothing, so as a club that's fighting for survival, it's not acceptable,” Walker said.

“It's 22 men on a football pitch, it's about who wants it more, and they wanted it more than us. I'd say the hunger's there — the lads work hard day in, day out — but sometimes football matches aren't won on hunger.

“They’re won by using your head and playing the game of football. When certain situations arise, you're meant to deal with them properly. We don’t, for whatever reason, seem to do that.”

Sunderland seized control inside nine minutes when Habib Diarra’s effort deflected off Axel Tuanzebe and looped beyond goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka.

The hosts doubled their lead before half-time, Diarra again involved after a sweeping move down the right, leaving Burnley chasing shadows for long spells.

Any lingering hope of a response was extinguished late on when Chemsdine Talbi struck superbly from distance to make it 3-0, capping a dominant display.

The victory moved Sunderland up to eighth in the Premier League and extended their unbeaten home run to 12 matches.

Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris was quick to single out Diarra, who marked his return to the starting XI with a decisive performance.

Although his opener was later credited as an own goal, Diarra’s second-half strike stood as his first official goal for the club on just his fourth start following injury and AFCON duty.

“It's a new signing for us,” Le Bris said. “We spoke this week about a new start. We supported him through injury and AFCON, and we were convinced he would bring quality and competitiveness.

“He wants to win, press, score — and he gives us energy, which is really important in this league.”

Le Bris also praised Brian Brobbey, who played a key role despite not getting on the scoresheet.

“Brian is getting better game after game,” the Sunderland boss added. “You can see how strong he is in this area of the pitch. His teammates want to play with him, want to feed him.

“When teams press us man for man, we still have the option to go long, support him and break the press. That was really important today.”

Burnley now face an increasingly bleak fight for survival, with confidence fragile and points desperately needed. Sunderland, meanwhile, continue to build momentum under Le Bris, firmly establishing themselves in the top half as their impressive home form shows no sign of slowing.