Burnley and Sunderland cancelled each other out at Turf Moor this afternoon as both clubs remain winless in the Premier League this season.

The Clarets should have gone ahead early on, only for Marvin Sordell to fluff a glorious opportunity in front of goal by slicing the ball.

Last-ditch interventions from Ben Mee and Jason Shackell either side of the break prevented Jack Rodwell from firing the visitors ahead.

There was late drama when both sides hit the woodwork through Ashley Barnes and Patrick van Aanholt respectively, but neither outfit did enough to pick up their first win of the league campaign.

Below, Sports Mole assesses who rose to the occasion and who should have stayed home.

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Goal

Tom Heaton: Pulled off a few crucial stops and showed just why this was his third successive clean sheet. (7/10)

Defence

Kieran Tripper: Okay defensively but Burnley could have done with the type of delivery that saw the right-back bag 15 assists last season. (5/10)

Michael Duff: Together with Shackell the duo made Connor Wickham look like a spectator and forced him into long-range efforts. (7/10)

Jason Shackell: Made at least one goal-saving intervention by preventing Jack Rodwell from netting a second-half opener. Solid performance. (7/10)

Ben Mee: Like Shackell, denied Rodwell an almost certain goal by taking the ball off his toes at the crucial moment. Strong performance. (6/10)

Midfield

Scott Arfield: Quiet first half, grew into the second half and saw his sneaky shot beaten away by Mannone in the final 10 minutes. (6/10)

David Jones: One of the culprits guilty of missing a good chance after drilling straight at Mannone in the first half. Should have scored. (5/10)

Dean Marney: Made a few sloppy errors in midfield but overall did enough to compensate for them. (6/10)

George Boyd: Started brightly on his home debut but faded as the match grew older. Might have scored on another day, too. (5/10)

Attack

Lukas Jutkiewicz: Missed one or two good chances but he was Burnley's heartbeat in an otherwise lifeless attack. Still chasing his first goal but it will come. (8/10)

Marvin Sordell: In contrast to his strike partner, he let the head drop after missing a glorious chance early on and was a mere spectator afterwards. (4/10)

Substitutes

Ashley Barnes: Replaced Sordell on 63 minutes and perhaps should have done so sooner after hitting the crossbar, the closest Burnley came all afternoon. (6/10)

Ross Wallace: Came on with four minutes remaining but had little impact against his former club. (5/10)

Steven Reid: The Premier League veteran never touched the ball, having only been introduced in the final minutes. (6/10)

Goal

Vito Mannone: The busier of both keepers and did well to rebuff everything that came his way. Solid performance. (7/10)

Defence

Santiago Vergini: His adventurous side saw Sunderland nearly go ahead after he glanced a header wide from a centre-forward position. Okay defensively. (6/10)

John O'Shea: Rightly booked for tugging back Jutkiewicz. Also should have scored in the second half after missing a free header. (5/10)

Wes Brown: Also struggled with the troublesome Jutkiewicz at times, but overall did well to shackle the striker. (7/10)

Patrick van Aanholt: Hit the post with a rasping shot in the dying stages that deserved a goal. (6/10)

Midfield

Lee Cattermole: Would have been at fault for an early goal if not for Sordell's profligacy. Shielded the back four relatively well aside from that. (6/10)

Emanuele Giaccherini: Decent second-half showing but should have conceded a penalty for a foul on Jutkiewicz. (5/10)

Sebastian Larsson: Whipped in a few good deliveries from free-kick positions but nobody could reach the end of them. Quiet other than that. (5/10)

Jack Rodwell: Unlucky not to score at least one after having certain goals nicked away from him by Shackell and Mee's defending. (7/10)

Adam Johnson: Quiet first half but grew into the second half and improved before being surprisingly subbed on 67 minutes. Poyet should have kept him on. (6/10)

Attack

Connor Wickham: Isolated as Sunderland's focal point again and reduced to speculative efforts from range. Often made the wrong decision and must curb his shooting habit. (5/10)

Substitutes

Jordi Gomez: Replaced Sebastian Larsson but time proved that the Swede might have been better staying on the pitch. (5/10)

Jozy Altidore: Totally ineffectual alongside Wickham as the game slipped away from Sunderland after resorting to 4-4-2. (4/10)

Written by
Shane Callaghan