Looking innocent, Westwood wins the ball in front of Nikola Vlasic. But within seconds the seriousness was evident. Declan Rice gestured for a stretcher, while Vlasic lifted his shirt to hide his tears. His teammates consoled him, as did several opponents, confirming the lack of malice. It was a horrible incident with a potentially horrible outcome. Mike Jackson, jointly in charge of Burnley, could not confirm whether it was Westwood’s ankle, or indeed both. “You could see from the reaction of the players that it was not good,” he said. “It was a big blow for the band – they’ve been here a long time and they’ve thought well of it. He looked confused. “Our thoughts are with him.” For Jackson and the small pocket of the visiting fans, the noise returned soon after, when, after Jay Rodriguez headed Maxwell Cornet against the crossbar, Wat Wegworth nodded. It was the Dutchman’s first goal since February. For a while it seemed that life after Sean Dyche would start with a valuable victory. If Cornet had not taken a penalty in the first half, the return to the home for the kings of Lyon would probably have been ruined. Instead, it was a difficult second half, with Thomas Soutsek slowly leveling West Ham by one point. Only Nick Pope’s heroism prevented a complete overthrow. Defeat would be tough for Burnley, who deserved a point after a 72-hour test. A not-so-good Friday marked Dietz’s last day in charge, a victory over Everton that was not enough to fill a sandwich of five defeats. Most wondered about the decision. More even questioned the wait of five days after the defeat in Norwich, especially without any immediate indication of a successor. Jackson, who was promoted from the age of 23, hardly screams as a firefighter. But the performance suggested that hope remained. “You need a little foundation to build on – we hope that comes from today,” Jackson said. For his future, he was disgusted: “My thoughts are to get on the bus, get food and go home. “When it is ready to be said, I am sure that the board and the president will give the information that the supporters want.” With Tottenham and Arsenal slipping into the race for the fourth, no one seems to want to win, David Moyes’ concise answers after the game made clear his bitter disappointment. A valuable point at the end of the season? “I do not think. “It was a great opportunity today and we did not take it.” Nikola Vlasic (kneeling) was comforted by players from both sides after being involved in the incident that led to the injury of Ashley Westwood. Photo: Ryan Pierse / Getty Images He could use some bodies, especially in the front where Michael Antonio is the only top level option. Oh, to have Carlos Tevez, who picked up the microphone before the match, say, “Come on, Irons.” Antonio’s overall contribution has improved in recent weeks, but in front of the goal he receives a shot: an early shot was inadvertently made by a ball to Ben Johnson out. Pope soon made his first intervention to dismiss Jarrod Bowen after a clever corner routine, before Aaron Cresswell almost marked his 250th appearance in the claret league with a sweet volley. James Tarkovsky blocked. Then came Westwood injury. West Ham conceded first, something they have done remarkably more times than Burnley this season. A less alien scenario for them than, say, a European semifinal. The mountain should have risen shortly before the break when substitute Josh Brownhill sent Cornet to be cut by Lukasz Fabianski. After 22 successful Burnley penalty conversions, what can go wrong? After a run that will not start, all. It was another bad moment for Cornet after his bad failure in Norwich. After a while, West Ham put Burnley in. The cameras turned to Teves. During the break, Cornet found Johnson’s ends and put Rodriguez in the square, whose effort was in vain. The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily football email. West Ham’s restraint finally paid off in 16 minutes when Sucek shouldered Manuel Lanzini’s cross. This created a frantic final five minutes, with Pope making a nice punch save. Antonio’s move was reversed, Issa Diop was dismissed from the corner and Antonio was soon released… Sure? No: Pope blocked to make it a dozen league gaps for the forward. “That’s why he’s an English goalkeeper,” said Jackson. “He demands these standards from himself.” Moyes was less discreet: “He has to score”, he generally said about Antonio. Burnley remains three points away from the last safe position, while West Ham is five from the fourth position. They have very different aspirations, but neither of them can afford to stop. At least West Ham have a viable alternative route to the Champions League. The Championship has an entry point.