By Conor Hogan
**West Ham beat Burnley 2–0 in a comprehensive but crucial victory at Turf Moor on Saturday.**
Goals from Crysencio Summerville and Taty Castellanos secured the win for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, who also kept their first clean sheet in all competitions since August.
The Hammers started on the front foot, as they have done in all of their most recent Premier League games, and once again Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring for the Hammers – the third time he has done so in the Irons’ last four league games. On 14 minutes, the Dutchman was played in by Mateus Fernandes, scoring with a deft chip over Burnley’s Martin Dúbravka.
Nuno’s side were on top and doubled their lead on 26 minutes. After some good work from debutant Axel Disasi, Fernandes found Summerville once again. The winger’s excellent first touch teed up El Hadji Malick Diouf, who put an inch-perfect cross on the head of Taty Castellanos. The Argentine’s header beat Dúbravka to make it 2–0 and open Castellanos’ account in the Premier League.
It was a comfortable first half for the Irons, but Nuno’s side had to make sure they didn’t repeat the same mistake they made against Chelsea and squander a two-goal lead.
However, that looked a possibility when Burnley emerged for the second half. Scott Parker’s side started well, putting the Hammers under immense pressure in the opening ten minutes. Mads Hermansen, in only his fifth league appearance of the season, pulled off an excellent save to deny Burnley’s Zian Flemming from point-blank range.
Nuno was forced to change things and brought on Freddie Potts for Callum Wilson to shore up the midfield. Potts’ introduction nullified the Clarets’ threat, and Parker’s side rarely troubled the Hammers in the final 25 minutes of the contest.
Jarrod Bowen had a great chance to add a third for the Irons and wrap things up when he was seemingly one-on-one with Dúbravka, but he chose to square the ball to Summerville – the wrong option, as the Dutchman couldn’t make up the ground to meet the skipper’s powerful cross.
Despite that, the Hammers held on for a 2–0 victory, their third win in four league games. Axel Disasi impressed on his debut, as did his centre-back partner Konstantinos Mavropanos. The back line and Hermansen in goal all contributed to a vital clean sheet for Nuno’s side, and the win sees the Irons close the gap to three points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
An encounter with in-form Manchester United awaits the Irons at London Stadium on Tuesday. Three points shouldn’t be expected, but if the Irons keep up this form, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility – nor is survival, for that matter. COYI!