Sunderland's record signing Habib Diarra began to pay back his fee with a leading role as the hosts easily beat struggling Burnley 3-0 on Monday to move up to eighth in the Premier League standings, Reuters reported.
Diarra's ninth-minute shot took a deflection off Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe and although initially credited to the midfielder, it was later changed to an own goal.
But Diarra, freshly returned from winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, made sure of his name on the scoresheet with a close-range effort in the 32nd minute, his first goal for Sunderland since his move from Strasbourg in a reported club-record 30-million-pound ($40.99 million) deal, according to Reuters.
