Burnley 0 West Ham United 2
Sean Dyche's first anniversary as Burnley manager was soured as a controversial penalty provided Premier League West Ham safe passage into the quarter-final.
Matt Taylor converted with 14 minutes remaining after the home captain, Jason Shackell, was penalised for a tackle on the substitute Kevin Nolan.
Then, in injury time, Keith Treacy was sent-off for hacking at Joe Cole, chasing back into the area, and Jack Collison doubled the advantage.
It was harsh on Burnley who started in the mood to mark the year in charge for Dyche with a ninth successive victory.
Dyche's Burnley history makers, three points clear at the top of the Championship following their best start to a season since 1897, were without their first-choice central-midfield pairing David Jones and Dean Marney because of suspension and injury respectively.
But their replacements, David Edgar and Brian Stock, still had the strut of men sporting eight consecutive victories.
Ahead of them, the free-scoring duo of Danny Ings and Sam Vokes came alive whenever the ball made its way deep into West Ham territory. Each of them were off target.
With Junior Stanislas keen to make an impression against his former club, West Ham’s inexperienced defensive unit were stretched. Twice in the 12th minute Stanislas’s direct run at the debutant Pelly Ruddock resulted in a daisycutter being tipped round a post by Adrian. From the resulting corner, Ings saw a fierce half-volley palmed over the top.
Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga led the line for the visitors. They were forced to forage for scraps as Burnley dominated first-half possession.
It was a different story at the beginning of the second half however. Within a couple of minutes Cole was felled by Kieran Trippier’s challenge as he seized on Maiga’s cute backheel. Then, after Maiga’s deflected volley won a corner, James Tomkins’ downward header from Joe Cole’s delivery was hacked away from inside his six-yard box by Edgar.
Midway through the half Burnley’s Trippier applied a Cristiano Ronaldo-style technique to a free-kick 25 yards out but struck the crossbar.
However, West Ham were able to book their place in the last 16 when Nolan’s volley was stymied by what appeared to be an excellently timed challenge from Shackell.
The referee Robert Madley disagreed and although Tom Heaton got a hand to Taylor's spot-kick, he could not keep it out. Collison offered a change of taker but produced the same result at the death.
Guardian Service
BURNLEY: Heaton, Trippier, Long, Shackell, Mee, Stock, Edgar, Treacy, Ings, Stanislas, Vokes. Subs: Lafferty, Duff, Kightly, Howieson, Hewitt, Noble, Liversedge.
WEST HAM: Adrian, Ruddock, Potts, Tomkins, Chambers, Joe Cole, Diame, Taylor, O'Brien, Maiga, Carlton Cole. Subs: Spiegel, Nolan, Collison, Morrison, Downing, Tombides, Fanimo.
Referee: Robert Madley
