West Ham's bid for Premier League survival was dealt a setback in a narrow home defeat by Burnley on Wednesday night.
David Moyes' side just could not find a way past in-form Clarets goalkeeper Nick Pope at London Stadium and slipped to a disappointing 1-0 loss after Jay Rodriguez beat Lukasz Fabianski with a late first-half header that went in off the crossbar.
The result was a key reminder of the work still to be done by West Ham in the battle to avoid relegation after they collected four points from their previous two matches against Chelsea and Newcastle.
Here, Standard Sport's Jack Rosser assesses the key talking points from a frustrating evening for the Hammers...
Failure to continue run leaves nervous wait
West Ham were brimming with confidence going into their final four games of the season after some fine performances to turn the tide of their survival bid.
However, their recent good run was brought to a grinding halt here by Burnley’s brick wall of a defence as the hectic fixture list started to catch up with the hosts.
Moyes has constantly complained that his side are given tight turnarounds where, even during a busy post-shutdown schedule, there could be more flexibility for his squad to be afforded some extra recovery time.
The Scot, reluctant to alter a side in good form, made just one change against Burnley and it caught up with the Hammers in the second half.
Despite West Ham controlling most of the game, the chance to move seven points clear of the drop was passed up.
Moyes will now watch on nervously on Thursday night when relegation rivals Aston Villa and Bournemouth, both in terrible form, face Manchester United and Tottenham respectively.
How Moyes could do with a helping hand from his former club to keep West Ham's four-point cushion intact before a crucial trip to bottom side Norwich on Saturday.
Defending lets Hammers down again
In each of their five games since the restart, Moyes has been left lamenting West Ham’s defending as they look to push themselves clear of danger.
They have now found their feet going forward after some toothless early displays, but at the back they remain wide open.
Burnley epitomise what Moyes wants to see in defence - well-drilled and fearless in clearing their lines. The Hammers, by contrast, just look too soft.
Little effort was made to close down left-back Charlie Taylor as he swung in the cross for Rodriguez, who breezed in front of Aaron Cresswell to head home against the run of play.
West Ham are now on a run of 14 straight Premier League games without a clean sheet - their longest in more than a decade - and until the defence is fixed, constant errors will continue to undermine the good work being done further forward.
Soucek a talent for the long-term
Moyes said ahead of this game that the signings of Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen are a clear sign of the direction he wants to take the club. If he can do that again in the summer, West Ham will be on a fine path.
Soucek came into the game having scored two goals in as many outings against Chelsea and Newcastle, and looked full of confidence in the first half.
The Czech Republic international was everywhere, from dismantling Burnley breaks to keeping the Hammers in control before charging into the box to threaten Pope’s goal.
He perhaps could have done better with a tricky chance just short of the half-hour mark, swivelling in the air to volley a fine cross from Ryan Fredericks, only to hit it straight at Pope.
Like most of his team-mates, Soucek faded a little in the second half.
However, should the Hammers stay up and keep hold of him - Soucek's current loan deal stipulates that his move from Slavia Prague will become permanent for around £16million should West Ham remain a Premier League side this summer - then Moyes will have quite a talent in midfield.
For a long time now, successive managers have looked to move the team forward.
Now, as Mark Noble edges ever closer to his 500th appearance for the Hammers, they may well have found someone capable of taking his place.
