West Ham vs Burnley match report: Michael Duff sending-off spells the end for Clarets

West Ham 1 Burnley 0: Duff was shown a straight red card after giving away a penalty

Mark Noble celebrates his goal for West Ham (Getty Images)

Here was a game to sum up Burnley’s season: brave and without luck but suffering from weakness at both ends of the pitch that is going to cost their Premier League place.

Losing defender Michael Duff to a harsh red card after only 23 minutes, they stayed in defiant contention, only to reach the final whistle having not managed to score in nine-and-a-half hours.

It is an even worse run than the costly early-season drought, when they were still hoping last season’s combination of Danny Ings and Sam Vokes could shoot them to safety. In the event Vokes was unavailable until Boxing Day and has subsequently failed to score at all, while Ings also dried up. On Saturday he missed two good chances, leaving his side eight points from the safe house that will not be reached now.

They have spent no more than £10 million all season and will at least be in a better state than, say, QPR if and when relegated but, like fellow Lancastrians Blackpool four years ago, they have failed to pull off survival on a Lidl budget in the Waitrose League.

Their manager, Sean Dyche, was understandably upset that Duff was sent off after conceding the decisive penalty kick. “It’s impossible for it to be a red card,” he said. “Referees have a tough job, but that’s not a tough decision. Jason Shackell is in position to go and cover. That leaves us with a mountain to climb and needing to do something that will end up in folklore.”

Michael Duff walks off the pitch after being sent off (Getty Images)

Mark Noble’s penalty earned West Ham only a third win since Christmas, when they sat fourth in the table. Yet a second top-ten finish in three years is possible and would be perfectly respectable, even if Sam Allardyce still pays with his job.

The first quarter of the game had gone rather well for Burnley, with the former Hammer Matt Taylor whipping in some dangerous crosses, one of which Ings headed carelessly high. Everything changed in the 23rd minute when Enner Valencia fed Kouyaté, who was clearly tripped by Duff. Despite the presence of covering defenders Jonathan Moss showed him a red card, and Tom Heaton, otherwise excellent, could not keep out Noble’s spot-kick.

Mark Noble converts his match-winning penalty (Getty Images)

He saved stunningly from Valencia a few minutes later, and then from Morgan Amalfitano, but West Ham still managed to look vulnerable. Adrian saved with his legs from Ashley Barnes’s diving header and only just kept out Taylor’s effort in the second half.

“Our only weakness was not converting more chances, despite having 27 attempts today,” Allardyce said. “And because we didn’t get the second goal you get a little nervous.”

Mark Noble celebrates his goal for West Ham (Getty Images)

Line-ups:

West Ham: (4-2-3-1) Adrian; Jenkinson, Collins, Burke, Cresswell; Noble, Kouyaté; Downing, Nolan (Nene, 79), Amalfitano; Valencia (Cole, 82).

Burnley: (4-4-2) Heaton; Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee; Boyd (Keane, 46), Arfield, Jones, Taylor (Wallace, 81); Barnes (Sordell, 79), Ings.

Referee: Jonathan Moss.

Man of the match: Heaton (Burnley)

Match rating: 7/10