It certainly wasn't pretty, but West Ham delivered three vital points on a nervy night in east London.
And Mark Noble's winning goal - a rebound from his initially-saved penalty on the stroke of half time - pretty much summed up the event as a spectacle, a match in which neither side failed to offer any evidence that their current league positions are in anyway 'false'.For Slaven Bilic and his team, the manner of the win - United's first in seven at the Olympic Stadium - was very much a secondary consideration to the points, which ease the pressure on the team ahead of a busy Christmas period.
And it was a victory West Ham probably deserved, even though Burnley will be rueing missing two or three golden opportunities in the second half to cancel out Noble's goal.
The first half was dominated by the Hammers, who saw both Noble and Pedro Obiang clatter the woodwork from distance and Aaron Cresswell denied by a point blank save from the Clarets' Tom Heaton.
However they had to wait until added-on time at the end of the half to open the scoring through Noble's half-hearted spot kick, which was stopped by Heaton but slammed home on the rebound by a grateful Irons captain.
Keen to preserve their advantage and avoid a repeat of last weekend's draw at Liverpool, West Ham were far more conservative after the break and were perhaps somewhat fortuitous to escape unpunished.
Scott Arfield's free-kick required a fantastic save from Darren Randolph - kept in by Bilic despite erring at Anfield - to maintain United's slender lead, but Sam Vokes had no excuses when he nodded over from close range with the goal at his mercy in the closing stages.
That win - combined with favourable results elsewhere in tonight's full Premier League programme - lifts West Ham four points clear of the relegation zone and up to 15th place in the table, level on points with reigning Champions Leicester and a point behind tonight's opponents.
West Ham Utd: Randolph; Nordtveit, Reid, Ogbonna; Antonio, Noble (Nordtveit 88), Obiang, Cresswell; Lanzini (Ayew 69), Carroll (Fletcher 82), Payet
Subs not used: Adrian, Fernandes, Quina, Browne.
Goals: Noble (45+2).
Burnley: Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Arfield, Marney, Defour, Boyd (Barnes 76); Hendrick, Vokes.
Subs not used: Robinson, Flanagan, Kightly, Bamford, Defour, Tarkowski.
Bookings: Mee, Hendrick.
Referee: Bobby Madley.
Declared Attendance: 56,990.
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