Gray shows he’s one to watch but time is not on Moyes’ side
SEAN DYCHE’S watch may be the most expensive in the Premier League — but Andre Gray will be priceless to the Burnley manager after the striker hit a hat-trick in yet another home win.
Dyche, it emerged this week, is the proud owner of a £45,000 Patek Philippe timepiece.
He may not have had to look at it once during a stress-free victory which leaves his side in a lofty 11th place and raises serious questions over David Moyes’ chances of keeping the hapless Black Cats up.
For the promoted Clarets, it is seven wins and a draw at Fortress Turf Moor and they can now add Sunderland to a list of vanquished visitors that includes Liverpool and Everton.
Gray was lethal, seizing on three late Christmas presents from the Wearsiders before an Ashley Barnes penalty left Moyes bemoaning his side’s inability to deal with ‘old-fashioned, English football’, after picking, arguably, his most attacking line-up.
It featured Jermain Defoe, Fabio Borini, Victor Anichebe and Adnan Januzaj with Ireland’s John O’Shea in a holding midfield role.
The visitors’ cause was not helped when Lamine Kone limped off on 24 minutes and the O’Shea experiment ended, the former United man switching to a more familiar position in central defence.
Moyes may have wished he had kept O’Shea in midfield. There appeared to be little danger when Burnley’s Scott Arfield punted the ball upfield.
But it came down and cannoned off a retreating O’Shea’s shoulder to set Gray (above) free.
With the much-lauded Jordan Pickford out with a knee injury, Vito Mannone was in the Sunderland goal for his first Premier League appearance since August but he could only tamely deflect Gray’s shot into the net.
While O’Shea may have been unlucky, Mannone should have done better.
The second half brought no change in fortune for the visitors. A Dean Marney ball over the top caused panic, Gray stole a march on Papy Djilobodji and rounded Mannone with ease before tapping in the second.
Seconds later, 3-0 and the hat-trick. This time the gift bearer was Sunderland sub Steven Pienaar who fell over with nobody near him. Two passes later Gray was free to slam home his third.
It got worse. With more than 20 minutes remaining Seb Larsson barged Arfield to the floor and Barnes slotted the resulting spot kick into the bottom corner.
Defoe pulled one back from close range with a 152nd goal on his 450th Premier League appearance prompting chants of ‘We’re going to win 5-4 ,’ from the away end, a rare bit of humour on a dark day for the men from the Stadium of Light who host high-flying Liverpool tomorrow.
Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton 6; Lowton 7, Keane 6.5, Mee 6.5, Ward 6.5; Boyd 6.5, Defour 7 (Gudmundsson 68min, 6), Marney 7, Arfield 7.5; Barnes 7 (Tarkowski 85), Gray 8.5 (Vokes 78). Subs (not used): Bamford, O’Neill, Robinson, Darikwa. Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Mannone 4; Jones 5, Kone 5 (Ndong 25, 4.5), Djilobodji 4, Van Aanholt 5.5; O’Shea 4 (Love 71, 5), Larsson 4; Januzaj 4, Borini 4, Anichebe 4 (Pienaar 46, 4); Defoe 6. Subs (not used): Mika, Rodwell, Khazri, Manquillo. referee: G Scott, 6.