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More games, less money but plenty of entertainment will make it a compelling Championship season for Burnley and West Ham. Zian Flemming’s two late goals secured a much-deserved point for the hosts as the Hammers cracked under pressure in this Premier League tribute act.
Maximilian Kilman and Manor Solomon pounced in the box to seemingly set West Ham on their way to victory but Flemming ensured the points were shared, scoring first from the spot and then from a corner. Burnley had missed numerous chances but found his golden touch at the right time.
Burnley started the game with plenty of question marks above their heads after the belated appointment of Nicky Hayen as head coach and a relatively quiet summer in the transfer market. The Belgian, whose previous experience of coaching in the UK came in the Cymru Premier at Haverfordwest, was celebrating his 46th birthday on Sunday and sent his team out intent on marking the occasion. Released from the desperately defensive football of the Scott Parker era, Burnley were aggressive and progressive in equal measure but were undone by a failure to carry out the basics.
Like Burnley, relegation had forced the sale of key players, but keeping Nuno Espírito Santo and Jarrod Bowen felt like significant moments. Having Kilman stay on was less exciting for Hammers fans, with the centre-back highly criticised since his £40m transfer from Wolves two years ago and unable to get in the team for much of last season. Thankfully for him, through a mix of Aaron Ramsey’s inept attempt at marking and Bowen’s delivery, he nodded West Ham into an early lead.
West Ham enjoyed more of the ball, as they can expect throughout the campaign, but Burnley were the more threatening. They countered at speed and in numbers but lacked a cutting edge as final balls and clinical finishing were absent, as the two teams mustered a solitary shot on target from seven attempts before the break. At the very least, the Clarets suggested they would be watchable after two seasons of Parker-ball.
While Burnley were frenetic, West Ham were more composed, looking to pick their moments. Nuno decided to end another anonymous Pablo Felipe display as he tries to find his level in England, sending on James Ward-Prowse, who spent a forgettable six months on loan at Turf Moor in the second half of last season. The plan was to add an extra body into midfield to stop the Burnley counterattacks but the hosts continued to look dangerous as Flemming went close with three headers, the last hitting the inside of the post.
There was little ambition to seek a second for West Ham as they sought to protect the lead rather than add to it, failing to have a shot in the first 25 minutes of the second half. Whether it was the most sensible strategy was debatable as they only maintained their advantage through a mix of good luck and poor decision-making from Burnley. Ollie Scarles was in the perfect position on the line to head clear another Flemming effort as the Burnley pressure and frustration grew with equal measure.
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After few glimpses of quality, West Ham showed some class through Mohamadou Kanté, who made light work of Marcus Edwards on the wing before finding Solomon to smash home from close range, undoing all of Burnley’s good work in one strike of the ball.
Scarles opened up the chance for Burnley to get back into the game, scything down Edwards crudely in the area. Flemming, finally, made no mistake, setting up a tense finish that concluded with an eruption when he netted the equaliser.
