Burnley suffered a horrific injury to midfielder Ashley Westwood, but left East London with a point in their first match after the shocking departure of Sean Deitch.
They owed their impeccable performance to their goalkeeper Nick Pope, as West Ham missed the opportunity to strengthen their position in the top six.
It would be difficult to imagine two more contrasting moods than those between these clubs before the start. As West Ham look to the future with excitement, many in Burnley are lamenting the past after Deitch left the Lancashire club after nearly 10 years as manager.
West Ham returned victorious from Lyon, one of the great evenings in the club’s history, with tears in their eyes from the prospect of a Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt later this month. Maybe she had taken hers tonight.
Burnley, meanwhile, faced an unfamiliar attempt to prepare for a top-class match without the man who was the longest-serving Premier League manager until Friday, when he was unceremoniously fired, along with a number of behind-the-scenes officials, by owner Alan Tempo.
Under-23 coach Mike Jackson, who played for David Moyes at Preston, was responsible for the trip to the capital, and he acknowledged that the players were “in shock” after Deitch left.
At first glance, this seems like a confusing decision, especially considering the weather. Such is his presence in Turf Moor, whoever succeeds Dyche will have to quickly create a new culture while trying to sustain the increasingly difficult task of sustaining Burnley.
After the decisive 3-2 victory over Everton 11 days ago, goalkeeper Pope said: “We are not dead yet.”
He came to the aid of his team with a great performance that began in the 12th minute with a fine save to deny Jarod Bowen, who shot in the top corner, after a skillful corner kick saw Declan Rice hide a pass to him at the border of the zone.
A few minutes later, Burnley captain James Tarkovsky kept a tie, clearing the line after Aaron Creswell made Ben Johnson’s deep cross to the far bottom corner.
Burnley’s condition sank in the middle of the half as a harmless clash between Nikola Vlasic and Westwood saw the Burnley midfielder writhe in agony and immediately signaled for help, while Vlasic was left in tears as Westic left Westwood on a stretcher after a long delay.
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