Jermain Defoe netted his first Premier League goal since last January, and looked just as clinical as he did during his short stint with Toronto FC.
The diminutive striker clearly hasn’t lost much in a calendar year, though his finish wasn’t the toughest task on Earth in Sunderland’s 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday.
[ MATCH RECAP: Sunderland 2-0 Burnley ]
And the Black Cats certainly needed the win.
Sunderland’s three points broke a 17th place deadlock with the Clarets and moved the Northeast club four points clear of the relegation zone.
From the BBC:“It was important that we got the win today. It was a massive win. We created a lot of chances today, the fans were fantastic. The energy from start to finish was fantastic today. We managed to get the early goal which helped us, settled us down.
“It’s always difficult to be honest when you’ve had a long break. But I’ve had a mini-pre-season and I’m getting sharper and sharper.
“The Premier League is the best in the world and that’s where you want to be. I feel like I have a lot of goals left in me.”
Anyone who watched Defoe’s rocket with TFC this summer knows he can be just as impactful as he was before he left for Major League Soccer. He’s a space finder who knows how to make runs and doesn’t need much time nor room to find the net.