After sleepwalking towards oblivion, or at least the Championship, for much of this season, West Ham appear to have finally awoken to the seriousness of their situation.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s renascent side moved to within three points of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest with a fairly simple but monumentally important victory.
It was their third in four Premier League games and has encouraged genuine hopes of climbing to safety in the coming weeks.
In-form Crysencio Summerville scored a delightful opener – his fifth goal in as many games – before helping to create a second for Valentin Castellanos midway through the first half.
The large and boisterous following from East London filled their boots in the away end as belief grows that survival is firmly within their team’s grasp.
Certainly the Hammers’ hot streak has ensured the likes of Forest, Leeds, Crystal Palace and Tottenham cannot sit easy as the business end to the season fast approaches.
West Ham continued their recent resurgence with a 2-0 victory away to Burnley on Saturday
Crysencio Summerville scored the Hammers’ first goal of the game with a chipped finish
The loss leaves Burnley now eight points behind West Ham in 19th-place in the Premier League
After just a fifth win in 20 games since replacing Graham Potter in September, this was West Ham’s first clean sheet under Nuno and followed his decision to start Mads Hermansen ahead of Alphonse Areola in goal.
Nuno said: ‘It was an important match and we knew the responsibility we had. We started really well and it’s been this way for some time now – the team is growing.
‘I’m really pleased with the way we defended and contained Burnley. We’re improving and football is all about what you do on the day, so we have to keep fighting.’
Burnley’s winless run, meanwhile, stretched to 16 games and they lie 11 points from safety, so look all but certain to go down with bottom club Wolves.
To make matters worse, Parker faced calls for his head from the angry home stands.
The Clarets boss, who admitted the tense atmosphere affected his team, said: ‘I’m a fighter and have experienced a lot of challenges in my life.
‘The one thing that I hold firmly is that in these moments of pure adversity I will not waver.
‘I will always stand up and that’s the message I’m constantly giving to this group, some of whom are just starting out. I’m really sorry that we’re going through a tough time but whether we fail or not, we’ll come through this for sure.’
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo heaped praise on his side for earning the ‘important’ win
Burnley manager Scott Parker faced calls from his own fans to be sacked inside Turf Moor
Relegation dogfights are not usually the place to go for an afternoon of aesthetic entertainment but there was much to admire in how West Ham established total control.
They led in the 13th minute when errant touch from Burnley’s Lucas Pires allowed the impressive Mateus Fernandes to collect possession in the middle of the park. He drove at the home defence and showed intelligence to find Summerville advancing at pace inside the left channel ahead of a leaden-footed Kyle Walker.
The former Leeds winger did not break stride as he lifted the ball right-footed over the advancing Martin Dubravka with an exquisite finish.
Nuno said: ‘Summerville is in a good moment and it’s not only his goals and assists but his work-rate and threat he possesses. It’s important that our strikers score because up front we can really harm teams.’
From there, West Ham had a platform and they doubled their lead in the 26th minute with a superb header from Castellanos.
Summerville’s deft touch found El Hadji Malock Diouf in space down the left flank and he whipped in a wicked outswinging cross which Castellanos greeted with a brilliant downward header.
The Argentinian striker, 27, was signed from Lazio last month and could prove a key figure in the Hammers’ survival bid.
Burnley could have thrown in the towel at that point, especially after Parker was jeered as he headed down the tunnel at the break.
Former Leeds winger Summerville has now scored five goals in his last five appearances
Valentin Castellanos added West Ham’s second goal of the game with a brilliant headed finish
Yet his men began the second half with renewed purpose and aggression.
Marcus Edwards had a fierce strike repelled by Hermansen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was forced to make a vital close-range block on Edwards and Zian Flemming went close with a header.
But there was no disguising the gulf in class between the sides as West Ham left deepest, darkest Lancashire with the scent of survival in their nostrils.
Could they pull it off? On recent evidence, you wouldn’t rule it out.
