West Ham United have given their Premier League survival hopes a huge boost as they claimed a 1-0 win against Burnley in Wednesday night's clash at the London Stadium.
Mark Noble's first-half goal proved the difference between the two sides as he poked home the rebound following Tom Heaton's penalty save from the Hammers captain's own spot kick.
The game took a while to get into gear as the hosts asserted their dominance from an early stage but failed to make much of an impact on the final third.
Slaven Bilic's charges notched a couple of half-chances in the opening stages as Noble's ball across goal was just too heavy for Michail Antonio's outstretched leg on the quarter-hour mark.
As the game went on the efforts became more incisive, with Pedro Obiang and Noble both rattling the Clarets' woodwork, and both sides also had a penalty appeal turned down.
In first-half injury time, Winston Reid was bundled to the ground by Ben Mee while contesting a corner in the box, and referee Bobby Madley did not hesitate to point to the spot.
Noble stepped up but Heaton was equal to it and saved low down to his left, only for Noble to follow up and slam home the rebound.
The Clarets were much improved after the break and came close to drawing level on a number of occasions, with Sam Vokes in the thick of the action.
However, the Wales striker spurned his chances, most notably heading wide just after the hour with the West Ham goal gaping.
Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph then kept his side in front when he kept out a well-struck free kick from Scott Arfield in the 72nd minute.
As the game went on, the hosts grew ever more nervous due to only having a slender lead, but Burnley offered little to threaten a comeback in the closing stages.
The result sees West Ham climb to 15th in the Premier League table with 16 points from 16 games, while Sean Dyche's side remain in 13th place on 17 points.
Giuseppe Labellarte
