THERE was a story doing the rounds last week suggesting that Sean Dyche and David Moyes are wearing two of the most expensive watches in a Premier League dug-out.

After a New Year’s Eve contest at Turf Moor, the latest frustrating afternoon for those of a Sunderland persuasion, Moyes could well be thinking that his timing is all out even if he does have a luxurious Patek Philippe clock on his wrist – and he’s not the only one.

Make no mistake about it, Sunderland’s run of four wins from seven games before the festive defeats to Manchester United and Burnley have still given the Black Cats a fighting chance of staying in the top-flight.

But Sunderland’s situation is worsening ahead of today’s visit of high-flying Liverpool after a rather depressing performance and battering at Burnley which has increased the worries and frustrations on Wearside.

Moyes already had a crippling injury list and was faced with the prospect of losing three players to the Africa Cup of Nations this month, and now he seems certain to be without powerful forward Victor Anichebe for weeks too after he suffered a hamstring pull.

Lamine Kone, who will be heading to Gabon if he is fit anyway, and Jason Denayer are two more of the latest nursing injuries, and the confidence of the players looked shattered as the Clarets’ goals started to flow.

Throw in the fact that the club’s owner Ellis Short is going to have to be persuaded to spend some money this month, having previously outlined to the manager and boardroom that nothing will be available, and there is a sense that Moyes could have done with taking the reins at a different time.

Moyes needs help. Short will be reluctant, given the cost of relegation will be significant as he attempts to sell a club already riddled with debts of around the £140m mark. And yet Sunderland, somehow, need to find a way to survive – again – despite being rocked by a series of lengthy injury blows.

Everyone knows there is a lack of options, although the manner of the goals that were conceded at Turf Moor smacked of a League Two team never mind the Championship.

Sunderland had at least shown a degree of resilience at the back until Kone was forced off in the 24th minute after crashing into an advertising board. Seven minutes later, without his side-kick, Papy Djilobodji decided to rush over to jump for a header with John O’Shea and Ashley Barnes.

O’Shea should still have won it clearly, but neither Sunderland player got a good enough touch and instead the ball dropped for Andre Gray to run clear on goal and beat Vito Mannone, who also should have stood taller to make it more difficult for the front-man.

Moyes said: “It wasn’t organisation, it was doing the basics. It was nothing to do with being in the right positions, it was just poor individual decisions on the pitch and it started with the first goal.

“We’ve defended quite well recently but I do think Lamine Kone going off was instrumental because he’s got a bit of pace and a bit of power and we missed that at the back.”

There could have been more Burnley goals before the break. Sunderland survived in that sense – and then the Anichebe blow made things worse, as he had provided an outlet to hold up play, like he so often has since being introduced to Moyes’’ starting line-up in October.

Five minutes after half-time Gray had a second when he worked his way behind Djilobodji and then the onrushing Mannone made it easy for the forward to round him and find the empty net.

Sunderland’s deflated players were still struggling to pick their chins up off the floor when Gray completed his hat-trick two minutes later. This time Steven Pienaar, only on as a substitute for Anichebe at the interval, was guilty of slipping over in possession, Burnley attacked, Barnes played In Gray and he applied the finish.

With 23 minutes to go Seb Larsson, who had been clumsy in the tackle on a few occasions earlier, barged over Scott Arfield in the box and Barnes converted the penalty. Not even Jermain Defoe’s 130th Premier League goal four minutes later could make up for a woeful end to the year.

Adnan Januzaj, whose run teed up the consolation, said: “Obviously everyone is down after a bad defeat and a bad performance, but we now have to try to look at the games we played before and make it difficult for Liverpool.

“What we do know is that we can’t make the mistakes we have here against Liverpool, or any of the bigger sides, or we could be five or six down before half-time! But we have to try to bounce back and make it difficult for Liverpool. To do that we know we all have to work together and fight together.”

The injuries are clearly taking their toll on the Sunderland squad ahead of the visit of Jurgen Klopp’s side and it will be a struggle for Moyes to just field a team - and Anichebe could be a significant blow to the fight for survival.

Januzaj said: “We are losing players who can help us a lot in the team. It’s football because you can lose today and win tomorrow, anything can happen, so we can’t be too negative.

“It’s not easy but as a team we have to fight together, stick together, we have to create chances to win games and we can do that. Victor has done a good job, he helps us a lot up front and it will be a big loss if he is injured, but we don’t know how bad yet.”

Defoe once again proved why he is so valuable to the Sunderland battle to stay up, even if it had not been his day as a lonely figure in the final third until he found the net when the game was already lost.

Provided Sunderland can keep him out of the clutches of West Ham, who are keen to pay £6m for him this month, then he will remain crucial to the cause and he will need Januzaj to show more of the direct running and creativity that teed up his latest goal.

Januzaj had a few decent runs at the Burnley defence and there were also moments when he fluffed his lines and was brushed off the ball too easily. The Belgian, however, insists he hasn’t arrived from Manchester United on loan for the season to return with a relegation on his CV.

The 21-year-old said: “Of course, I didn’t come here to get relegated. I came here to play games and to try the best I can to help the team. That’s my job and I will continue to do it.

“We have had another set-back, another defeat, and we are faced with a tough game against Liverpool. In football, though, you can get a surprise result and we know that we can surprise Liverpool in front of our own fans who have always been great at the Stadium (of Light).”