Burnley fell to a 3-1 defeat against West Ham United in this afternoon's Premier League clash at Turf Moor.

After a lively first half which saw both sides hit the woodwork twice, the Hammers surged into a two-goal lead early in the second period thanks to headed goals from Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia.

Although George Boyd pulled a goal back on the hour, substitute Carlton Cole restored West Ham's cushion and ensured that Sam Allardyce's side would come away with the points which see them climb to fourth in the table. Meanwhile, winless Burnley remain entrenched in the relegation zone.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the individual performances of those involved in the action at Turf Moor.

BURNLEY

Goal

Tom Heaton: The Clarets goalkeeper wasn't bad in between the posts, despite what the scoreline suggests, and had little chance of keeping out each of the three West Ham goals, all the results of pinpoint crosses finished off clinically. (5/10)

Defence

Ben Mee: Rarely ventured forward and was beaten by Downing on numerous occasions. (5/10)

Michael Duff: Did well to thwart chances on the ground, but outclassed in the air. (5/10)

Kieran Trippier: Linked up well with Boyd and made some important blocks, but struggled in the face of Aaron Cresswell's runs. (6/10)

Jason Shackell: Struggled against Sakho, allowing the Senegalese to score and get an assist. (5/10)

Midfield

Michael Kightly: Good in attack, showing up Carl Jenkinson on several occasions, but lacked a good final ball. (6/10)

Scott Arfield: Made good runs off the ball to help his side in attack. (6/10)

David Jones: His passing was neat and tidy and was solid defensively, but he did not venture forward enough. (6/10)

George Boyd: Was very creative and worked hard, a goal his just reward. (7/10)

Attack

Lukas Jutkiewicz: Was difficult to deal with and would have broken his duck had it not been for some average finishing. A first Premier League goal is imminent. (7/10)

Danny Ings: Made some good forward runs and was unlucky not to score. (7/10)

Substitutes

Ashley Barnes: Unlucky to hit the crossbar with four minutes to go. (6/10)

WEST HAM

Goal

Adrian: Shaky in between the sticks, should have done better with Boyd's goal and was saved twice by the woodwork. (5/10)

Defence

Winston Reid: Struggled to deal with Boyd, was caught out on several occasions. Booked. (5/10)

Carl Jenkinson: Had a relatively difficult game at the back, but his cross for Valencia's goal was superb. (6/10)

Aaron Cresswell: Was a constant threat going forward and delivered a very good cross for Sakho to convert. (7/10)

James Collins: Was impervious at the back and did a good job of stifling Jutkiewicz, making several important tackles to stop Burnley from scoring. (7/10)

Midfield

Morgan Amalfitano: Made some good forward runs and also helped out in defence, but final product was lacking. (6/10)

Mark Noble: Gave Burnley too much space early on but improved as the game went on. (6/10)

Alex Song: Solid in defence and a key figure in initiating Hammers attacks. (6/10)

Stewart Downing: A livewire in attack, the England man struck the woodwork in the first half and was good with crosses and set pieces. (7/10)

Attack

Enner Valencia: Struck a great header to double his side's the lead on the hour, but contributed little before that. (6/10)

Diafra Sakho: After a glaring miss in the first half, improved considerably to score a record-equaling fifth consecutive goal for the Hammers and also provide an assist for Cole late on. (8/10)

Substitutes

Carlton Cole: Strong in the air and chipped in with the definitive goal of the game. (7/10)