There are many good reasons why Burnley and West Ham are performing as Premier League tribute acts, slumming it in the Championship with the hope of a shot at the limelight once more. They are two flawed teams, relegated because of chronic defects, and plenty were on show as West Ham blew a two-goal lead to start life on the second-tier circuit with an entertaining draw.
Zian Flemming’s late double secured a thoroughly deserved point for the hosts, who showed promise going forward but took far too long to find a clinical finish. Despite going two goals ahead through Maximilian Kilman and Manor Solomon, West Ham rarely looked comfortable as they sat back, something that eventually cost them.
“We did a very good first half,” Nuno Espírito Santo said. “We created a lot of situations we were able to control and stop Burnley. Not so good in the second half, but after we scored the second goal, I think we should have done better to keep the result.”
Nuno continued his career-long love of conservatism and his side were put under pressure early on, only surviving through Burnley’s poor decision-making and inept finishing. In addition to continuity in the dugout, West Ham can boast their captain, Jarrod Bowen, who committed to the club rather than seek a quick return to the top flight this summer. It was his corner that found Kilman at the back post after he lost Aaron Ramsey in the box.
Considering West Ham are favourites to go back up, this fortuitous lead should have been a foundation to build on, but little attempt was made to seek a second. They were passive for long periods, composed in possession, but Burnley were able to counter at speed through the midfield and cause problems, only to lack the composure to make the most of those situations.
Nuno tried to rectify the faltering midfield by sending on James Ward-Prowse for the anonymous Pablo, a player who has yet to find his level in England. It made no difference as Burnley came out the better side, pinning West Ham back repeatedly, but Flemming appeared destined to not score, finding the fans, goalkeeper, the inside of the post and Ollie Scarles on the line rather than the back of the net.
West Ham reminded everyone that they possess Premier League quality as Mohamadou Kanté made light work of Marcus Edwards on the right wing before pulling the ball back to Solomon to slam home from close range. This was their second and final shot on target, both leading to goals. Despite being second best, the visitors must have believed they were out of sight, by accident rather than design.
Flemming had other ideas as things finally clicked, aided by Scarles crudely taking out Edwards in the box, allowing the striker to settle his nerves after 83 minutes of near misses and create tension in the West Ham ranks. It worked as the visitors failed to clear a corner which Flemming swept home in the second minute of added time, further explaining why he has attracted transfer interest. Asked if Flemming will stay the Burnley manager, Nicky Hayen, who is desperate not to lose his talisman, said: “It does not help that he scored twice today.”
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Nuno will want more action in the transfer market after the record Championship signing of Arne Engels from Celtic on Saturday. A striker is much needed as Taty Castellanos made little impact, while the aforementioned Pablo does not give the impression of a man who will fire West Ham to promotion. The bench featured five academy graduates, none of who Nuno felt comfortable bringing on, which says a lot. “The club knows the targets and the needs of the team. [We are] working very hard and trying to get the bodies in as soon as possible,” Nuno said. “We need especially in the offensive part of the team.”
Hayen, celebrating his 46th birthday, took his team on a lap of honour after his first league game in charge as he aims to build a relationship with supporters, who suffered through plenty of unwatchable football under his predecessor. “We showed resilience and that’s why I’m really satisfied for these boys because they worked really hard to change this game around and also how we did it,” Hayen said. “I’m pleased with the fans, how they supported us for 95 minutes. We invested a lot of time before this game into them because what we wanted was really to find the connection with them, that we made the promise that we bring energy into the stadium, that we keep on going for 95 minutes and this is exactly what we did.”