West Ham United had Tomáš Souček to thank for rescuing this Easter Sunday draw against managerless, relegation-threatened Burnley at London Stadium.

The Czech international midfielder bundled home the Hammers leveller with just a quarter of an hour remaining to claim his sixth goal of the campaign, but in truth a point apiece does little to help either side’s cause at their respective ends of the Premier League table.

Shortly after Ashley Westwood had been driven away with a serious leg injury, Wout Weghorst nodded the Clarets ahead on 33 minutes to give real hope to the visitors, who then saw Maxwel Cornet recklessly miss a penalty just before the break.

And that proved the turning point, for West Ham improved in the second half and, indeed, after Souček levelled only some outstanding saves from Nick Pope prevented David Moyes' men from snatching a late victory.

Both clubs had experienced season-defining moments in the run-up to this Easter Sunday encounter, with the Hammers spectacularly overcoming Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday evening to reach their first European semi-final in 46 years, while Good Friday was anything but that for Clarets’ manager Sean Dyche, who departed Turf Moor with just eight games left to play.

Following the three-goal Europa League quarter-final victory that set up a last-four meeting with old adversaries Eintracht Frankfurt, Moyes made a trio of changes to his Kings of Lyon as first-choice keeper Łukasz Fabiański returned in place of Alphonse Areola, while Aaron Cresswell and Nikola Vlašić came in for substitutes Vladimír Coufal and Pablo Fornals.

Without a Premier League goal since New Year’s Day, Michail Antonio came no closer to ending his dozen-game drought when he dragged an early 18-yarder towards the touchline.

But after Jack Cork was booked for felling Manuel Lanzini, Jarrod Bowen then saw his rising shot brilliantly clawed out from underneath the right-hand angle by man-of-the-match Pope after a well-worked corner fell to Hammers top-scorer on the edge of the area.

Kicking-off in 18th spot – 11 places and 27 points adrift of West Ham – a two-goal defeat at basement boys Norwich City last Sunday was Burnley’s fifth defeat in six matches and, following that Canaries caning, incoming caretaker boss Mike Jackson had made two changes with Cork and Dwight McNeil receiving call-ups as Josh Brownhill and Aaron Lennon dropped to the bench.

But that managerial change looked to be having little impact in the opening exchanges as Cresswell fizzed in an angled 25-yarder which James Tarkowski cleared off the line and despite racing into the danger-zone, the stretching Bowen just could not apply the finishing touch.

Midway through the half, though, an accidental collision with the distraught Vlašić on the halfway line led to a lengthy stoppage after Westwood was driven away on the medical cart with a serious-looking leg injury.

Ironically, during the time taken to enable the broken Burnley defender to be safely dispatched to hospital, two spectator emergencies sadly took the gathering wind out of West Ham’s sails.

And with Brownhill now entering the fray, the Clarets took the lead on 33 minutes, when Cornet’s inswinging right-wing corner was headed onto the crossbar by Jay Rodriguez, who then saw Weghorst outjump Souček to nod the strugglers ahead from just a yard or so.

Like counterpart Antonio, the 12-times capped Netherlands international has been finding goals hard to come by and that was only his second strike in 13 games since his £12 million arrival from Wolfsburg in January but he wheeled away feeling just grand having just scored the 1000th Premier League goal by a Dutchman.

It could have got yet worse for West Ham, whose frantic attempts to claw themselves level left a gaping hole at the back, where Brownhill’s upfield pass allowed Cornet to sprint clear from halfway and, after holding off the hastily retreating Ben Johnson, the barnstorming Burnley raider was then brought down by the consequently-cautioned Fabiański.

But after dusting himself down, Cornet over-complicated a stuttering run-up and side-footed his subsequent spot-kick wide of Fabiański’s left-hand post as the relieved keeper crouched motionless in the centre of his goal contemplating a two-goal interval deficit.

Just after the restart, Souček slid Lanzini’s well-crafted cross wide at the far post, while Antonio’s looping header then proved just too high for Bowen before a determined Declan Rice rampage forward forced an unlikely corner.

Despite their livelier start to the second period, West Ham had still been struggling to find any real cohesion in their quest to overturn the first-half deficit and, on 65 minutes, Moyes introduced Saïd Benrahma at the expense of an unfortunate Vlašić.

A spat between Rice and Weghorst then resulted in a booking apiece before more Cornet carnage saw the Ivorian compound the agony of that penalty howler with the careless foul on Antonio that led to the Hammers equaliser with a quarter of an hour remaining.

With Lanzini whipping the consequent free-kick into the six-yard box from the right-hand edge of the Burnley area, the inrushing Souček sent his leveller flying into the net via his shoulder but nobody in East End claret and blue was bothered about the contact so long as the Czech Republic international sent the ball over the line.

Now only the clock and the outstanding Pope stood between rejuvenated West Ham and a winner but Antonio’s rising 18-yarder was tipped over the top by the Burnley keeper before he then miraculously palmed away Issa Diop’s header.

Then in the dying moments, the helplessly exposed Pope smothered the escaping Antonio to ensure both sides were left settling for a draw that still leaves Burnley in the drop-zone - three points adrift of Frank Lampard’s Everton.

The Hammers remain in seventh-spot – five points outside the Champions League spots – with just five matches to play, albeit they still have that epic Europa League semi-final lying in wait.

West Ham United: Fabiański, Johnson, Cresswell, Diop, Dawson, Rice, Souček, Lanzini (Fornals 79), Bowen, Vlašić (Benrahma 65), Antonio. Unused subs: Areola, Coufal, Yarmolenko, Noble, Fredericks, Masuaku, Král.

Burnley: Pope, Lowton (Roberts 60), Taylor, Collins, Tarkowski, Westwood (Brownhill 30), Cork, McNeil (Vydra 79), Cornet, Rodriguez, Weghorst. Unused subs: Hennessey, Barnes, Stephens, Lennon, Bardsley, Long.

Booked: Cork (10), Fabiański (45), Rice (67), Weghorst (67).

Referee: Paul Tierney.