That says it all about how this traumatic, wavy afternoon unfolded, which Burnley left with gratitude for a point.
Specific withdrawals are unlikely to pull them out of this mess. Especially when three were so firmly in their hands.
In those first steps without Sean Deitch, Burnley showed great determination to rise from a terrible injury to Ashley Westwood and lead through Wut Weghorst.
Tomasz Soucek celebrates West Ham draw with team-mate Ben Johnson
Soucek struck in the 16th minute when the hammers seemed to be leading a late rally against Burnley
They then strayed between delirium and despair before half-time after Maxwell Cornet won – and then rejected – a penalty that would solidify their advantage.
And then, in the end, they needed Nick Pope to limit the damage.
The Burnley goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent Tomas Soucek from bringing West Ham to the level of 16 minutes later.
From there, however, Pope saved brilliantly from Isa Diop and then twice refused Michael Antonio late. These are already 13 games without a goal in the league; he wouldn’t get a much clearer chance than he did when he died here, racing only for Pope to save. “He has to score,” admitted manager David Moyes.
For Burnley’s interim boss Mike Jackson, tasked with putting the pieces together after Deitch’s departure with wounded Captain Ben Mee, some mixed emotions.
Wout Weghorst scored in the first half to give Burnley the lead at London Stadium
The striker jumped the highest to meet the cross, overtaking goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski
MATCH FACTS AND TABLE
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabian 5; Johnson 5; Dawson 6, Diop 6, Creswell 6; Rice 7, Suchek 7; Lanzini 6.5 (Fornals 79, 6), Vlasic 6 (Benrahma 65, 6.5), Bowen 6.5, Antonio 5
Unused subtitles: Coufal, Yarmolenko, Areola, Noble, Fredericks, Masuaku, Kral.
Goal: Soucek 74
Reserved: Fabian, Rice
Burnley (4-4-2): Pope 8.5; Lawton 6 (Roberts 62, 6), Collins 7, Tarkovsky 6.5, Taylor 6; McNeill 6.5 (Otter 79, 6), Cork 6.5,
Unused substitutes: Barnes, Hennessey, Stephens, Lennon, Bardsley,, Long.
Goal: Weghorst 33.
Reserved: Weghorst, Cork
Referee: Paul Tierney 6.5
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“Good point,” but “you could say he got away with it – missing the penalty stayed with us after the break.”
Moyes accepts that West Ham’s European heroism fatigue has played a role.
However, after the defeats of Arsenal and Tottenham, he complains about their failure to take advantage of this “great opportunity” to reduce the gap between the first four rivals.
Jackson, who played under Moyes at Preston, insists he hasn’t thought beyond that game. But here’s the bigger picture: Burnley are already three points behind Everton after playing more. They have seven games to decide their future. This will take some emotional impact.
An ominous buzz spread over London’s stadium as the severity of Westwood’s injury became apparent. The challenge, half an hour ago, seemed harmless enough. Westwood reached out to meet a loose ball and collided with Vlasic. But soon the players on both sides turned a blind eye. Some sank, others turned. In particular, Vlasic was insane.
Eventually Westwood was lifted on a stretcher and taken off the field. He needed oxygen, but luckily he managed to share a smile with Me as he approached the tunnel.
However, more problems arose around Westwood. First, some medics were forced by him to take care of a supporter in the stands.
Then, moments after the resumption of the game, more distress signals – this time behind the door of Lukasz Fabianski. This caused another delay as doctors and paramedics climbed in to treat another fan. A surreal, numb period that ended in a goal.
Burnley’s Ashley Westwood suffered a horrific injury after challenging Nikola Vlasic for the ball
Burnley players rush to the aid of their teammate, who had to be taken down on a stretcher
Vlasic remained worried after the incident, which led to a nine-minute stop
Jay Rodriguez met a corner by Cornet, but his header from a few meters hit the crossbar. The ball was thrown into the air and Weghorst rose to the top and scored his first goal since February.
His festivities were muffled, and the Dutchman pointed to the tunnel through which Westwood was taken to the hospital, with his right foot in braces.
Conversely, the break came just as West Ham began to move through the gears.
From a slow start, they woke up and came closest when Jarrod Bowen made two shots from the edge of the penalty area. The first was blocked, the second forced Pope to make a brilliant save high on the left.
It wasn’t long before Aaron Cresswell struck the door. Bowen was there to meet him near the goal line. But also James Tarkovsky, who saved his country.
Maxwell Cornet was ousted by Fabianski to give Burnley a 2-0 lead.
But Cornet missed a huge opportunity to double the lead after shooting from the side of the door
Still, Burnley had to be twice ahead by halftime. Cornet won the penalty after a mistake by Ben Johnson, competing in an acre of space behind West Ham’s defense to meet a passing ball from Josh Brownhill – who replaced Westwood in the Burnley midfield.
Cornet kicked the ball around Fabianski, withdrew the challenge and then got up to take a point kick.
In the first of the nine added minutes, Cornet’s stop-start sent the goalkeeper in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, his left foot kick turned on the wrong side of the crossbar.
Jackson turned back to the dugout; Cornet put his head in his hands. After his glaring pass against Norwich last week, how decisive can that be?
Michael Antonio is denied by Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope, who helped his team stay for a point
Pope helps Declan Rice face off after a draw that shatters the Hammers’ hopes of sealing European football through their Premier League position next season
West Ham reappeared on a different team and suddenly the fragility of Burnley’s buffer was exposed. In the end, the pressure told them.
Soucek got enough of Manuel Lanzini’s free kick to equalize worse, so he almost didn’t follow for Burnley. Said Benrahma was denied a brilliant last block by Nathan Collins, and then came Pope’s late heroic deeds.
First, he prevented Antonio’s fierce effort, then brilliantly deflected Diop’s header. Finally, he denied Antonio when the attacker ran away.
“Great rescues,” Jackson said. – That’s why he is the goalkeeper of England.
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