The Clarets' brave fightback came up just short as two first-half goals at the Stadium of Light left Burnley clinging by their fingertips to Premier League safety with just three games to go.
For Burnley boss Brian Laws it was heart-breaking homecoming as the man from just up the road at Wallsend just failed to get the better of boyhood team-mate Steve Bruce.
Bruce had the firepower in his armoury to edge the Black Cats closer to mid-table as Fraizer Campbell and 24-goal striker Darren Bent got the goals that nipped the Clarets' mini revival in the bud.
Fraizer Campbell catches a ride on Danny Fox
And that was pretty much the difference between the two sides - as Sunderland pressed home their advantage while on top before the break and Burnley left themselves just too much to do.
The Clarets dominated the second half with a gutsy performance, but didn't halve the deficit until eight minutes from the end through a cool Steven Thompson finish and then couldn't create one more killer chance to grab an unlikely point.
Another away defeat therefore means time is running out, but again Burnley did enough to show that they have not yet thrown in the towel and will take the fight on to next Sunday's apparently win-or-bust clash with Liverpool at Turf Moor.
Darren Bent puts Sunderland 2-0 up
With David Nugent missing with a hamstring strain Laws was forced to change his winning formula, with Chris Eagles coming into the side that had revived hopes with last week's remarkable win at Hull.
Looking to pick up where they had left off at the KC Stadium, the Clarets made an upbeat start with Jack Cork leading a couple of promising breaks from midfield without really threatening the opening goal.
Sunderland had failed to do Burnley a favour a week previously when going down tamely at West Ham, but back on home turf they are a different proposition and certainly didn't give the impression of a side free-wheeling towards the end of the season.
With big striker Kenwyne Jones back in their line-up alongside top scorer Bent, the Wearsiders packed plenty of punch up front.
Not for the first time the Clarets looked vulnerable from set-pieces and it took a magnificent save from Brian Jensen, plunging low to his right to keep out a Bent header, to prevent the Black Cats taking a 19th minute lead.
Jones then lashed an angled shot against the post following a corner.
But with 25 minutes gone Burnley were breached. On-loan Tottenham defender Alan Hutton was always a willing accomplice to the hosts' attack and when he galloped forward again he delivered the perfect low cross for Campbell to steer a shot past Jensen.
Brian Laws feels the frustration of going behind
Hutton then put another cross on the head of Bent and while the jilted England international headed that one wide he soon bagged his 23th league goal of the season.
This time Campbell was the provider, although he was marginally off-side when heading Henderson's chipped pass square for Bent to side-foot in from six yards to make it 2-0 and a long way back for Burnley nine minutes before half-time.
Laws reacted by changing things at half-time, with Thompson sent on in place of Martin Paterson in a bid to add to the Clarets' presence up front.
And the Scot made an immediate difference as he turned past Sunderland substitute Anton Ferdinand and delivered a cross which Chris Eagles could not head goalwards.
The Clarets had to get the next goal to have a chance - and with just less than an hour gone they opened the Sunderland defence with a fine passing move, but when Tyrone Mears crossed low it was Hutton who got on the end of it to clear.
Burnley were certainly giving the home side something to think about and when Thompson was bundled over in the box by Campbell - a penalty shout that Brian Laws later agreed would have been generous - referee Howard Webb strangely penalised the Burnley man.
Steven Thompson gets the Clarets back in it
Most of the attacking play was being done by Laws' men though and when Craig Gordon punched out a cross from Mears the ball was ferried back to Graham Alexander, who let fly with a left-foot shot from 25 yards which Gordon grabbed going to his left.
Bent fluffed a chance at the other end to kill the game but Burnley kept plugging away in the hope of forcing some late jitters into the home camp.
Fox dipped a free-kick onto the roof of the net and with nine minutes to go the Clarets were back it at 2-1.
Robbie Blake was sent on to try and conjure up a goal and he duly produced the goods with a typically neat pass into the feet of Thompson who calmly placed a low shot past Gordon into the bottom corner to leave Sunderland hanging nervously on.
Alas, there was to be no second chance and Jensen made a smart late save to deny Jones adding to the hosts' tally.
Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Cort, Duff, Fox, Eagles, Elliott, Cork (Blake 81), Alexander, Paterson (Thompson ht), Fletcher. Subs: Bikey, Carlisle, Caldwell, Jordan, Weaver.
Sunderland: Gordon, Turner, Hutton, Malbranque, Campbell, Richardson, Bent (Benjani 90), Mensah (Ferdinand ht), Henderson, Jones, Meyler (Zenden 88). Subs: Carson, Bardsley, Kilgallon, Da Silva.
Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 41, 341
Booked: Burnley: Duff 87, Thompson 90
Sunderland: Malbranque 38, Mensah 45, Meyler 80
Leon Cort holds up Jones as the Clarets scrap for survival
