West Ham 0-1 Burnley: Report, Ratings and Reaction as Nick Pope Inspires Win
Burnley's surge up the table continued as Sean Dyche's men beat West Ham 1-0 - largely thanks for a goalkeeping masterclass from Nick Pope.
West Ham had the majority of the chances in the first half, but Burnley keeper Pope showed why he's at the forefront of the Premier League Golden Gloves race, making a number of superb saves to deny a close range Tomas Soucek volley and a Michael Antonio effort.
Despite the Hammers creating the majority of the chances, it was Burnley who found the opener, when a Jay Rodriguez header hit the underside of the crossbar before crossing the line. West Ham had the opportunity to equalise almost immediately after going behind when Antonio found himself one-on-one with Pope, but the forward saw his effort hit the outside of the post and go wide.
Sebastian Haller came off the bench after just over an hour to make his first appearance for West Ham since March, and the forward had the chance to equalise with his first touch of the game, only to be denied by another excellent Pope (sense a theme here?).
The Hammers, pardon the pun, hammered the Burnley goal throughout the game, but Sean Dyche's men held them off to record their third 1-0 win in four games.
West Ham
Key Talking Point
West Ham boss David Moyes made one change from the side that faced Newcastle at the weekend, with Manuel Lanzini dropping to the bench and Andriy Yarmolenko replacing him in the starting lineup for his first start since November.
Moyes will take positives from the amount of quality chances West Ham were able to create, but at this point in the season creating 'quality chances' isn't nearly enough if the Hammers want to stay in the Premier League for another year,
West Ham Player Ratings
Starting XI: Fabianski (6); Fredericks (6), Diop (6), Ogbonna (6), Cresswell (6); Rice (6), Soucek (6), Fornals (6), Yarmolenko (6), Bowen (6); Antonio (7).
Substitutes: Haller (6), Ajeti (6).
Michail Antonio
West Ham striker Antonio looked dangerous up front, with his tireless running making it a rather difficult evening for the Burnley defence.
However, the forward will be disappointed that he missed the target after finding himself one-on-one with Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope in the first half.
Burnley
Key Talking Point
Sean Dyche's starting lineup was unchanged from the team that drew with Sheffield United at the weekend. The only change within the matchday squad was Anthony Glennon replacing Bobby Thomas on the bench.
Burnley continued to show why they're one of the most frustrating teams to play against in the Premier League on Wednesday night, winning yet another game 1-0 despite being second best for large periods.
Burnley Player Ratings
Starting XI: Pope (9); Taylor (7), Tarkowski (5), Long (6), Bardsley (6); McNeil (6), Brownhill (6), Westwood (6), Pieters (6); Vydra (6), Rodriguez (8).
Substitutes: Wood (6).
Nick Pope
The Burnley goalkeeper put on another sensational performance on Wednesday evening, with the Englishman making a number of superb saves to deny West Ham an equaliser.
Burnley have now kept more clean sheets than anyone else in the Premier League and with Nick Pope in-between the sticks, it's easy to see why.
Nick Pope has to be England’s number 1
— louis (@louiscandy_) July 8, 2020
Nick Pope has everything to play for one of the big boys. Good on the line, athleticism, great reflexes, good in the air, commanding presence and decent distribution. Would walk into Chelsea’s starting line-up. Underrated @NickPope1992 #Burnley #WHUBUR #WHUFC #clarets
— Alessandro Schiavone (@aleacm9) July 8, 2020
Looking Ahead
Next up for the Hammers are a couple of relegation six-pointers, with a trip to Carrow Road to take on Norwich on Saturday, before welcoming Watford to the London Stadium next Friday.
It's a tough couple of fixtures next for Burnley with a trip to Premier League champions Liverpool on Saturday, followed by a clash with Champions League chasing Wolves next Wednesday.