Burnley 0-0 West Ham United
Premier League
West Ham United and Burnley shared the points from a goalless draw at Turf Moor on Sunday.
West Ham tested home stopper Nick Pope with headers from Issa Diop and Saïd Benrahma, while Craig Dawson had a penalty shout waved away, but Burnley defended strongly to keep their visitors out.
The point means the Hammers end another Premier League weekend in the top four with another test on the road to come at Arsenal on Wednesday.
Hammers boss David Moyes made two injury-enforced changes to his side from last weekend’s victory over Chelsea, with Kurt Zouma and Ben Johnson missing out. Arthur Masuaku and Benrahma were the men to come in.
Chris Wood sent an early header over from an inswinging Dwight McNeil corner, but that was about the extent of the hosts’ first half threat as the Hammers gradually took control of the ball and began to ask the sterner questions.
With 26 minutes on the clock, only a fine reaction save from Pope prevented Diop from heading the Hammers into the lead.
The defender got across his man at the near post to meet Jarrod Bowen’s whipped-in free-kick with a flicked header, but Pope stuck out a strong right hand to push it away.
Eight minutes before the break, West Ham thought they should have had a penalty when Dawson, shepherding the ball out for another corner, was caught by McNeil. VAR Jonathan Moss took a look, but backed up referee Graham Scott’s decision and the interval came with the deadlock unbroken.
As in the opening period, Burnley created the first chance of the second half, as Jay Rodriguez turned Matt Lowton’s cross goalwards. Thankfully for the Hammers, Dawson was in the way to block.
At the other end, Pope was fully extended by a Benrahma header on 54 minutes, diving to his right to claw the effort away after Declan Rice’s low cross popped up off a defender’s foot at an inviting height for the Algerian.
The Hammers continued to probe, looking for a route to goal down the flanks, but Burnley were defending their box well and cutting out the plentiful supply of crosses into their box.
Declan Rice tried his luck from outside the box six minutes from time with a fierce effort which brushed the top of the net, but ultimately there was no way through.
Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Mee (c), Tarkowski, Taylor, McNeil (Lennon 88), Westwood (Brownhill 70), Cork, Gudmundsson, Wood (Vydra 60), Rodriguez
Subs: Hennessey (GK), Pieters, Bardsley, Long, Collins, Thomas
Booked: Taylor, Mee
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Masuaku, Rice (c), Souček, Bowen, Lanzini (Fornals 80), Benrahma (Vlašić 70), Antonio
Subs: Areola (GK), Ashby, Alese, Baptiste, Král, Noble, Yarmolenko
Booked: Dawson
Referee: Graham Scott