Burnley 4 Sunderland 1

   Gray - now the Clarets' top scorer with five goals for the season - became the first Burnley player to score three times in a top-flight fixture since Peter Noble in 1975. 

   And the revitalised striker could barely have timed his goal burst better as a seventh home win capped a perfect Christmas period and lifted Sean Dyche's side nine points clear of Sunderland in the final relegation slot as the season reaches its half-way point. 

   Gray's treble - bagged in the space of 22 remarkable minutes either side of half time and complimented by an Ashley Barnes penalty - came almost a year to the day since his hat-trick against Bristol City sparked the Clarets' remarkable run to promotion. 

   And his latest collectors' item felt almost as important as Burnley rounded off a magical year with a magnificent performance and a result that firmly underlined their Premier League credentials. 

   With Jeff Hendrick suspended, Steven Defour returned to the Clarets' midfield in one of two changes from the Burnley side that had set up their North-East one-two by beating Middlesbrough on Boxing Day. 

   The re-call of Matt Lowton at right -back following his own ban was the other swap, while Dean Marney's recovery from the knock he picked up against Boro allowed the long-serving midfielder to clock up his 200th league appearance for the Clarets. 

   And this was also a landmark day for defender Ben Mee, who made his 200th Burnley appearance. 

To read the complete match report please click on the link below;

Match Report