Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony combined twice to secure a 2-0 win for Burnley against fellow newly-promoted side Sunderland.
Cullen guided his effort into the far corner after latching onto a neat flick from Anthony moments after the restart (47), and with just two minutes remaining the 29-year-old returned the favour for his team-mate to double the lead.
The Republic of Ireland international turned creator for the second goal of the afternoon, as his ball set Anthony racing through on goal to round Robin Roefs and seal the win.
Burnley thought they had taken the lead before the break when Lyle Foster beat Jenson Seelt to the ball and curled his shot into the top corner, only to see his celebrations cut short by the referee's whistle.
Match official Michael Salisbury had blown for a foul from Foster on the Sunderland defender before gaining possession of the ball. VAR confirmed the call swiftly following a review.
"It's a 50/50 call I think, but once he's given the free-kick on-field, there's no way he can really overturn it for me because it probably is just about a foul," former referee Mike Dean said on Soccer Saturday.
"I watched it a couple of times to make sure the referee did blow [before Foster scored].
"The ball's in the back of the net, Michael Salisbury blows the whistle and VAR John Brooks has had a look at it and he's just agreed with the on-field decision."
Sunderland's misery on the afternoon was compounded by an injury to key man Daniel Ballard, who was forced off with a knock in just the ninth minute.
Ballard was at the heart of the biggest chance for the Black Cats before his departure, knocking the ball down for Eliezer Mayenda to sweep home from close range, only to see his effort thwarted by former Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.