Saturday began with thousands of West Ham fans protesting with a coffin and hearse, but concluded with the Hammers enhancing their prospects of avoiding relegation. The supporters, demanding the resignation of chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady, marched through Stratford prior to the game, expressing their deep dissatisfaction with the club's management.

A loss to relegation rivals Burnley could have escalated the situation, especially after they initially fell behind 1-0. However, a 3-2 victory at London Stadium, following a 3-1 win over Newcastle, now places them in the relegation zone only on goal difference.

These consecutive wins provide a significant boost for manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who faced a slow start after replacing the sacked Graham Potter. He appears to have settled on a consistent starting XI and formation after experimenting with unpopular tactics in his initial matches.

"I'm very, very happy," Nuno told the BBC post-match. "I am happy for the boys and our fans. This was a massive game for us. The goal we conceded, the reaction was good. We have proved we want to change things, we want to be strong characters. The boys on the pitch are showing this slowly."

West Ham displayed moments of brilliance and periods of struggle throughout the game. All three goals resulted from deflections into the path of the goalscorer. Burnley initially took the lead with Zian Flemming's header and controlled the game for a period.

West Ham's first shot on target came in the 44th minute, with Callum Wilson's header following a blocked Crysencio Summerville shot. They likely would have faced boos at halftime had Wilson not scored.

The second half initially offered no immediate response, with only two blocked Lucas Paqueta shots in quick succession until the 74th minute. However, Burnley keeper Martin Dubravka parried the ball to substitute Tomas Soucek to make it 2-1 in the 77th minute, and then to Kyle Walker-Peters for 3-1 in the 87th minute. Josh Cullen's consolation goal came too late for a comeback, and the Hammers celebrated their victory.

The statistics provide positive reading for West Ham. This marked the first time they have scored three goals in consecutive Premier League games since March 2024, and their expected goals (xG) of 3.02 represented their highest total of 2025.

"I think it's a small step," said Nuno. "It's another day where we have achieved something at London Stadium which means a lot. But we will not get carried away."

Speaking to Sky, he added: "It's about trying to improve as a team. As a team we are showing small steps - but steps in the right direction."

"We've let one slip here if we're being brutally honest," said Burnley manager Scott Parker. "We turned the game into what West Ham wanted it to be - a basketball match. For 30 minutes we nullified them, but we just fell away."

The gap could have been six points with a win, but now it is down to goal difference. Striker Wilson, who scored his second goal for the club after leaving Newcastle in the summer, said: "It was a big game, we knew the magnitude of it. We've started sticking together as a group more, and being a team. We've done that last week and shown that again this week."

Nuno has won two and drawn one of his six games in charge, while Potter lost five of his six matches before being sacked. Wilson added: "It's a start - we know it's a process. We've not had the best of starts to the season. It wasn't pretty today by any means, but a win is a win. This is something to go on from."

This is a significant shift from even two weeks ago, when they had four points from nine games, a position from which no team has avoided relegation in the past decade. Now, they have 10 points from 11 games, creating a much different atmosphere.

West Ham's supporters will be pleased with the three points, but it does not alter their protests. They continue to demand the departure of Sullivan and Brady, who have been in control since 2010. West Ham won the Conference League in 2022-23, their first silverware in 43 years, but appear to have regressed since.

Nuno is their third manager, following Julen Lopetegui and Potter, since David Moyes left at the end of 2023-24. Another point of contention is the 62,500-seater London Stadium, originally an athletics ground built for the Olympics, after having to leave the beloved Upton Park.

The fans are maintaining their efforts, with several forms of protests this season. Organized demonstrations occurred before the 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace on 20 September, which was Potter's final game. On 20 October, thousands of fans boycotted the 2-0 defeat by Brentford, Nuno's first match in charge. On 3 November, fans staged a sit-in protest. This time, it was a funeral march through Stratford, concluding at the stadium.

Organizers Hammers United stated: "Massive thank you to all of those supporters, young and old who took part in the protest march, an overwhelming success. Thousands of you came out and you were clearly heard! COME ON YOU IRONS!"

There is no reason to believe that a narrow win over Burnley will halt these protests.