It was a Burnley victory in this fixture, exactly six years ago to the day, that gave the London Stadium its most infamously toxic afternoon.
At half-time here, an only slightly milder mutiny was brewing, an abject West Ham 2-0 to a visiting side who had started the day bottom of the Premier League.
A second-half fightback, though, saw David Moyes’s side respond to earn a share of the points, Lucas Paqueta halving the deficit and then substitute Danny Ings levelling with his first Premier League goal in more than a year. A crucial second almost followed, the Englishman denied a winner by the crossbar in a frantic finale.
With another comeback required in the Europa League against Freiburg to come on Thursday night, Moyes attempted to shuffle his pack as far as he dared, leaving Edson Alvarez and Kurt Zouma on the bench as part of four changes that also saw the injured Emerson miss out.
Burnley’s start was bright, Vincent Kompany’s side quick to find their rhythm, for all West Ham were certainly obliging hosts.
The opener owed itself to an inkling of good fortune and a finish of sheer quality, Fofana playing a one-two off the recalled Nayef Aguerd, bundling through the Moroccan’s weak attempt to recover and past Kalvin Phillips before arrowing into the top corner from beyond 25 yards.
The goal did little to rouse the hosts, the London Stadium crowd familiarly angsty as Burnley revelled in their role as spoilers, James Trafford taking an age over every goal-kick. While referee Darren England did little to hurry the visitors at the dead-ball, though, West Ham were guilty of the same offence in open play.
The Burnley high-line appeared there for exploiting, but Paqueta was unusually indecisive when presented opportunity to beat the trap, while James Ward-Prowse hesitated at the far-post when he ought to have attacked Vladimir Coufal’s cross.
A stewing Moyes was clearly ripe to deliver a half-time rocket, but before he got chance his side were two-down, former Hammer Josh Cullen crossing and Mavropanos sticking out a toe to divert home.
And so it was that Moyes decided more than stern words were needed, Alvarez and Michail Antonio sent on at the break as England hopefuls James Ward-Prowse and Phillips were both hooked with Gareth Southgate watching on.
The double-change brought a shift to a more adventurous 4-2-3-1, an adjustment Moyes perhaps should have considered from the outset at home to such a struggling team. Either way, it reaped immediate dividends, Paqueta playing at No10 and forcing his way beyond the Burnley back line to slot beneath Trafford within 30 seconds of the restart.
West Ham, suddenly, were transformed, Antonio running hard in behind, Paqueta curling just wide and Mohammed Kudus somehow blazing over when an equaliser seemed a certainty following his clever shift inside.
In a rare hail-may, Moyes set on the lesser-spotted Ings, sacrificing centre-back Aguerd, and with five minutes on the clock the forward looked to have levelled. Alas, VAR ruled Antonio to have been offside in the build-up in the most marginal of calls.
Ings, though, would not be denied, his touch and strike from Kudus’s cross superb as the Hammers completed a face-saving turnaround.
