Chris Wood and Dwight McNeil’s goals take dominant Burnley past West Ham

Burnley picked up a much-needed three points with their first win of the Christmas period, not quite managing to climb out of trouble but looking a lot more like their old selves in holding out against West Ham. Sean Dyche dropped Joe Hart and returned to a 4-4-2 formation in the hope of restoring some of the defensive solidity that has served Burnley well in the past.

It seemed to work, in that Burnley kept a rare clean sheet, though perhaps judgment should be reserved until opponents with more attacking conviction are encountered. Tom Heaton was not given a great deal to do in his first league appearance of the season, until he made an excellent one-handed stop to foil Andy Carroll at the end.

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from Football | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VmBMlF