Red-hot Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia’s early second-half goals helped West Ham climb the table with a 3-1 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday morning.
The win comes one day before Sam Allardyce’s 60th birthday, and the Irons feted him in style.
Carlton Cole also scored, off a Sakho feed, for the Irons, who improved to 4W-1D-3L on the season. Burnley remains in 19th with four points.
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Stewart Downing’s pressure set up an early corner for West Ham, but it was Irons keeper Adrian who had to come up with the game’s first save, and it was a beaut to deprive George Boyd of a goal.
But ultimately it was a first half that was little to write home about (or post on PST about). West Ham had a slight edge in possession but Boyd’s shot was the only one that could’ve gone in the goal.
The opener came early in the second half, as Sakho rose up to head an Aaron Cresswell cross past Heaton, giving the visitors the lead.
And they doubled their advantage via another noggin goal moments later, with Enner Valencia climbing the ladder to head home a Carl Jenkinson cross.
But hold on, Burnley weren’t cooked quite yet. A goal mouth scramble allowed Boyd to finally put one home. It was 2-1 with a half-hour to go.
Danny Ings nearly equalized moments later, but his header went wide of the goal.
Before long, Cole made that miss sting more with a goal from a Sakho feed.
Lineups
Burnley: Heaton, Shackell, Jutkiewitcz (Barnes, 65'), Duff, Arfield, Kightly (Chalobah, 83'), Ings (Sordell, 83'), Jones, Mee, Trippier, Boyd
Goal: Boyd (60')
West Ham United: Adrian, Reid, Cresswell, Downing, Sakho, Noble, Jenkinson, Collins, Amalfitano, Song (Nolan, 83'), Valencia (Cole, 59')
Goal: Sakho (49'), Valencia (54'), Cole (70')
