West Ham United threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Burnley at Turf Moor as Nuno Espírito Santo’s side were denied a winning start to their Championship promotion campaign.
Max Kilman headed West Ham ahead after ten minutes before Manor Solomon appeared to put the visitors firmly in control with a second goal in the 72nd minute.
Burnley refused to fold.
Zian Flemming converted an 83rd-minute penalty before the hosts completed a dramatic late comeback, leaving West Ham to settle for a point from a game they had looked set to win.
Burnley vs West Ham starts perfectly for Nuno
Burnley began with plenty of energy, but West Ham punished some poor marking from their first major set-piece opportunity.
Jarrod Bowen delivered his corner towards the far post and Kilman rose unchallenged to head the ball beyond the Burnley goalkeeper.
It was the defender’s first West Ham goal.
The Guardian’s live Burnley vs West Ham coverage recorded West Ham controlling 63 per cent of possession in the opening half as Nuno’s team settled after Burnley’s early pressure.
Burnley remained dangerous, particularly through Flemming.
The forward hit the post with a second-half header and also had another effort cleared from close range as West Ham came under increasing pressure.
Manor Solomon looks to seal West Ham victory
West Ham weathered that spell and appeared to land the decisive blow in the 72nd minute.
Mohamadou Kanté did brilliantly down the right before squeezing a cross into the penalty area, where Solomon drove his finish into the roof of the net.
The goal made it 2-0 and appeared to give Nuno’s side breathing space at exactly the moment Burnley had been threatening an equaliser.
It also justified Nuno’s decision to bring Solomon into the starting line-up.
West Ham had gone into the afternoon without new £22million signing Arne Engels, while Edson Álvarez was also absent from the matchday squad.
Despite those midfield changes, the Hammers were within touching distance of opening their Championship campaign with an impressive away victory.
West Ham collapse after Flemming penalty
Everything changed during the closing stages.
Ollie Scarles lunged in on Marcus Edwards inside the penalty area in the 82nd minute, leaving the referee with little hesitation in awarding Burnley a penalty.
Flemming sent Mads Hermansen the wrong way to make it 2-1.
Suddenly Turf Moor believed.
West Ham failed to regain control and Burnley eventually completed their comeback with a late equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw.
For Nuno, the frustration will be obvious.
ReadWestHam reported before the weekend that Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg viewed West Ham as one of the division’s major promotion threats, and for much of Sunday’s game the Hammers looked capable of making an immediate statement.
Instead, they leave Turf Moor with one point after surrendering a two-goal advantage.
Burnley had also entered the fixture without several important players, making West Ham’s failure to finish the contest even harder to accept.
There were positives in Kilman’s first goal, Solomon’s impact and Kanté’s performance.
But the overriding feeling will be opportunity missed.
West Ham had their first Championship victory in 14 years within reach.
They let it slip.
