West Ham United 2-2 Burnley
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 10 March 2024, 2pm GMT
West Ham United came from two goals down to draw 2-2 and snatch a Premier League point from Burnley at London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
It was a true game of two halves in the east London rain as David Datro Fofana’s long-range strike and Dinos Mavropanos’s own-goal gave Burnley a two-goal half-time lead.
Manager David Moyes made tactical and personnel changes at the break and West Ham were transformed, scoring at each end of the half through Lucas Paquetá and substitute Danny Ings, but ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils.
The first half was, to put it very kindly, forgettable.
West Ham took 28 minutes to create their first goal attempt and failed to work James Trafford, who had made 104 saves in his previous 27 Premier League appearances.
West Ham’s only attempts saw Jarrod Bowen glance a header well wide, James Ward-Prowse fail to convert Vladimír Coufal’s bouncing cross after seemingly being distracted by a Burnley defender, and both Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus end driving runs by firing left-foot shots past the far upright.
Burnley were hardly an irresistible attacking threat of their own, but scored twice despite having only two shots on target.
Ivory Coast international Fofana gave Alphonse Areola no chance with a rasping strike into the top right-hand corner with the first on eleven minutes, and Jacob Bruun Larsen worked the goalkeeper with a long-range free-kick with the second as half-time approach.
A minute into added time, the Dane then played his part in a smart move that ended with Mavropanos putting former Hammer Josh Cullen’s low cross past his own goalkeeper.
The second half was almost the polar opposite of the first, more closely resembling a cup tie than a Premier League match.
Moyes made two half-time changes, bringing on Michail Antonio and Edson Álvarez, and switched to what looked like a 4-2-4 formation.
It took just 28 seconds for them to take effect, as Paquetá robbed Maxime Èsteve, bore down on goal and confidently rolled past Trafford and into the bottom left-hand corner.
West Ham were a team invigorated and laid siege to Trafford’s goal as Mavropanos’s header was blocked, Bowen saw a goalbound shot hit Paquetá from the rebound, then the Brazilian curled wide after controlling Antonio’s cross and fired another shot too close to the Burnley goalkeeper.
The Irons hardly looked secure at the back either, though, as Fofana shot straight at Areola and Vitinho’s effort deflected narrowly wide off Aguerd’s heel.
As the rain continued to pour down, so West Ham continued to pour forward.
Kudus shot over from six yards, then Álvarez followed suit from the edge of the D. Coufal’s cross was deflected onto the face of the crossbar, Mavropanos headed Aaron Cresswell’s corner over and captain Tomáš Souček shot straight at Trafford.
It looked like West Ham had finally levelled with five minutes to play when substitute Ings netted with his first touch, but a VAR review deemed Antonio’s shoulder was offside from Paquetá’s free-kick before he chested the ball into Ings’ path.
But the England striker would not be denied, controlling Kudus’s cross before spinning and shooting low past Trafford.
West Ham were not finished, yet, as Antonio’s cross somehow eluded Paquetá and the far corner and finally Ings’ shot cannoned back off the crossbar.
There was still time for referee Darren England to turn down a late penalty appeal when Sander Berge headed the ball against his own arm and Areola to make a superb late save to deny Josh Brownhill a winner for the visitors.
At the final whistle, honours were even, but Moyes will rue his team’s first-half performance, which ultimately cost the Irons a third Premier League win in succession.
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd (Ings 82), Cresswell, Phillips (Álvarez 46), Souček ©, Ward-Prowse (Antonio 46), Paquetá, Kudus, Bowen
Subs: Fabiański (GK), Johnson, Ogbonna, Zouma, Earthy, Mubama
Goals: Paquetá 46, Ings 90+1
Booked: Souček, Paquetá
Burnley: Trafford, Assignon, O'Shea, Estève, Taylor, Berge, Cullen ©, Bruun Larsen (Brownhill 46), Vitinho (Gudmundsson 90+3), Odobert (Delcroix 68), Fofana
Subs: Muric (GK), Cork, Rodriguez, Manuel, Amdouni, Trésor, Delcroix
Goals: Fofana 11, Mavropanos 45+1
Booked: Assignon, Delcroix, Berge, Estève
Referee: Darren England
Attendance: 62,441
