WHILE anger filled the air in the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it was the blossoming of a beautiful partnership that had the Clarets’ faithful dancing for joy.

The contrast couldn’t have been greater. After a tense, turgid hour of football, Burnley suddenly took control of affairs in the East End.

As Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood tore through the Hammers, before tearing off to celebrate with the joyous away fans, the home fans were turning incandescent with rage. While a small corner of the London Stadium toasted a strike partnership that have reignited the Clarets season, the rest of the ground riled against a partnership in the directors box that they blame for issues too numerous to list here.

Chief amongst them is perhaps the move from Upton Park to this soulless, joyless athletics stadium. There’s no fear to be felt from a trip to the London Stadium and after striking first the Clarets were walking through the hosts at will.

Burnley certainly seized the moment. After Barnes had brilliantly blasted them ahead the atmosphere immediately turned toxic.

As the Clarets celebrated, a couple of home fans got onto the pitch to confront West Ham players, with Mark Noble wrestling one to the ground.

Deep down there may have been sympathy from Burnley, but they didn’t show any. Instead Wood scored from the next attack. Game over.

Now most of the home fans had forgotten about the game, instead turning their ire on David’s Sullivan and Gold in the directors’ box. A couple of hundred gathered in front of the owners to vent their fury, while fans clashed amongst themselves. Another made his way onto the pitch, picking up a corner flag to brandish. In the face of Burnley’s brilliant second half, West Ham were looking for a white flag.

The Burnley bench played their part, allowing children to take their seats as the atmosphere turned increasingly nasty. The substitutes and coaching staff were soon on their feet again, as Wood added a third to complete the rout.

Things can change quickly in this game, as West Ham would no doubt attest to. At half-time against Everton last weekend Burnley were staring down the barrel of a 12th league game without success. Enter Wood.

His partnership with Barnes, first sighted in League One with Brighton seven years ago, reaped immediate dividends. So it was a surprise to see the record signing back on the bench here, with Sean Dyche going with the side that started against Everton, rather than the side that finished the Toffees off.

His reasoning was sound enough, seeking to quell any fast start from the hosts as the seeked to bounce back from successive 4-1 drubbings on the road.

In an entirely forgettable first half, which gave no warning as to the drama that was to follow, Nick Pope twice used his feet to keep the Clarets level, denying Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini.

This time Dyche left it to just before the hour mark to introduce his super sub, a moniker Wood may be keen to shed.

The impact was immediate. Within a minute Barnes and Wood had shared a one-two, with the former skewing a shot wide. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

One of Wood’s great strengths is his ability to run the channel and offer an out ball. From his right-back slot Matt Lowton found him. Wood held it up and found the advancing Barnes, who fired home brilliantly from the edge of the area. Not a bad way to impress watching Austria boss Franco Foda.

While the Irons reeled the Clarets pounced again. Aaron Lennon looked set to open his account, but instead he scuffed his shot straight to Wood, who tucked home from six yards.

By now the biggest question was whether the game would actually finish, with anarchy breaking out all around.

Burnley were keeping calm heads though, and when Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s shot was spilled by Joe Hart it was Wood who reacted quickest to make it three.