POPE SAYS NO TO WEST HAM GOAL GLUT
Burnley 0 West Ham 0
So you can beat Liverpool, Manchester United away and Chelsea? But Burnley is one trip too far. Yes, I know they got a draw at Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago, and they won 3-0 at London Stadium during the on field protests, but come on. One bloody goal would have done it. Yes, I know they should have had a penalty when Dawson got floored, but sometimes VAR seems determined not to intervene. Even when you are certain it will.
It looked a strong side, but no Ogbonna, Zouma or False Nine. I guess that refers to whoever we sign in the window to keep Antonio on his toes in the second half of the season.
West Ham have done better here in Burnley’s Premier League days than they have at London Stadium, and this afternoon they often look the Side Most Likely To. Could this be that the claret and blue kit seems to promote defeat more regularly than victory?
After ten minutes Masuaku hits a speculative left foot volley from the edge of the area that has Pope groping desperately to his right. Then Diop flicks on Bowen’s free kick and this time Pope gets across to save. Bowen is lively throughout the first half and forces Pope into a save from a shot fashioned from a shimmy run across from right to left after being set up by Rice.
Burnley get more into the game in the second half, but West Ham again come closest with a powerful header from Benrahma which Pope keeps out. Rice’s effort from twenty-five yards in the last five minutes of the game is a few inches from being a worthy match winner. Weirdly, Burnley produce their best chance of the game in injury time after a low cross from Taylor evades the full blow from Rodriguez’s advancing strides by a few inches.
Are these the games West Ham should win? A point is something, however, and keeps Hammers in the top four by the end of the afternoon.
1 Lucasz Fabiański, 23 Arthur Masuaku, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 41 Declan Rice (c), 15 Craig Dawson, 23 Issa Diop, 28 Tomas Souček, 10 Manuel Lanzini, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 9 Michail Antonio, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 11 Nikola Vlasić, 8 Pablo Fornals
