Flemming's late double rescues Burnley on Championship return in 2-2 draw with West Ham

Burnley were staring down the barrel of an opening-day defeat before Zian Flemming scored twice in the space of nine minutes to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw with West Ham on both sides' return to the Championship.

The Dutchman's quickfire double ensured Nicky Hayen did not leave his first game in charge empty-handed, after a debut goal from Manor Solomon had looked set to secure the points for West Ham at Turf Moor.

Solomon's debut strike looked set to settle it

Burnley started strongly, with Flemming and Aaron Ramsey both firing narrowly wide inside the opening four minutes. But West Ham soon stamped their authority on the contest in the 10th minute, when Maximilian Kilman held off his marker to get on the end of Jarrod Bowen's corner and send his header through the legs of Max Weiss.

Flemming continued to pose a threat after the break, hitting the post with a 62nd-minute header and being denied on the line by Ollie Scarles just moments later. His profligacy looked set to haunt Burnley as Solomon pounced on Mohamadou Kante's rebounded cross to rifle home a debut goal in the 72nd minute.

A nine-minute turnaround

But Flemming got his chance from the penalty spot after Scarles brought down Marcus Edwards in the box, and the Dutchman confidently dispatched from 12 yards with seven minutes remaining. He then earned the hosts a point in the 92nd minute — after poor West Ham defending from a corner — drilling his low shot through the crowd and into the net.

While Burnley could not find a late winner, Watford did start 2026-27 with a victory, with Iker Bravo and Amin Nabizada scoring in an impressive 2-1 win over Southampton.

Flemming's persistence pays dividends for Burnley

It had all been going so well for West Ham, with Nuno Espirito Santo naming a strong lineup for their first Championship match since the 2011-12 season. The Londoners won both contests between these sides in the Premier League last term, wrapping up a comfortable 2-0 win at Turf Moor thanks to early goals, and this game looked set to follow a similar pattern.

Kilman's header was the difference at the break, but it had been a fairly balanced first half, with both sides registering seven shots apiece. However, Flemming never gave up despite his near misses, and he finished the game having taken nine of Burnley's 17 shots, while also achieving game-high tallies for shots on target (four), touches in the opposition box (eight) and 'big' chances (four).

Hayen will feel his side deserved at least a point after they racked up 2.08 expected goals (xG) to West Ham's 1.3, but there were positives for Nuno too. Solomon has now contributed to goals in his last seven Championship games (four goals, five assists), following a loan spell at Leeds United in 2024-25, and he should prove a big threat this season.