West Ham comfortably defeated Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor, with Crisencio Somerville scoring in five consecutive games, moving them within three points of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
Another loss for Burnley, who were booed at full-time, meant Scott Parker’s side ended a 16-game winless run in the league and missed a chance to spark a fight for safety.
West Ham looked set to make the most of Forest’s loss to Leeds on Friday night when Somerville sank Martin Dubravka early in the first half.
Burnley had little to respond in the first period, but West Ham doubled their lead with an impressive second goal, as Valentin Castellanos slotted a fine cross from Malick Diouf into the net.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side weathered a Burnley storm early in the second half with Mads Hermansen replacing Alphonse Arreola, making five stops to put West Ham in the lead.
The Hammers are now in a great position to put pressure on Forest with their third win in four games ahead of a tough competition that includes both Manchester clubs’ visits to the London Stadium and a trip to Liverpool in their next six games.
Meanwhile, Burnley currently sit eight points behind West Ham and are looking towards an inevitable return to the Championship.
Crisencio Somerville pays tribute to away fans after giving West Ham the lead against Burnley
Nuno: As long as you play like today, you’ll be fine!
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo says West Ham will be in good hands if they continue to perform like they did at Burnley for the rest of the season.
“That was really important. It was a good performance, a good result. The best thing we can do is support the fans who have traveled this far and let them have fun.”
“We were very accurate in the offensive box. It makes a big difference in the offensive box. I think we have talent up front as long as our defense is solid.”
“We can do great things. It was important to react to what happened against Chelsea and the players reacted well.
“They showed character, they showed desire and commitment. We’re still in the same situation. We have to focus on ourselves and play, play, play. As long as we play like today, we’ll be fine.”
Parker criticizes unnecessary pressure from fans
Burnley manager Scott Parker criticized the atmosphere at Turf Moor after the defeat.
“We looked edgy and the goals contributed to that. I thought the overall atmosphere probably contributed to that a little bit as well.”
“At 2-0 we gave ourselves a really big mountain to climb. In the second half, I thought we showed some real effort at times. We just couldn’t put a goal in. We could have tried a little harder, but overall it was a disappointing day.”
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Burnley manager Scott Parker has made defiant comments about the team and his future.
“There’s no denying that the stadium was on edge today and we felt it. I think after the first goal there was obvious frustration and there were obvious chants against the players and myself personally.”
“It’s a difficult moment. We have to deal with what we can control, really. And today was difficult. Of course, it was definitely in the environment that we were in, and definitely the team, and we’re under absolute, huge pressure right now. But yeah, it doesn’t help.”
“Of course not. I understand it a little bit, but I don’t fully understand it. You asked me the question, how can we change that? The only way you can change that is by winning. And sometimes you have a big challenge in front of you and it turns out to be a little difficult, but at the moment time has proven that.”
