West Ham Advance to FA Cup Fifth Round After Tense Clash with Burton Despite Red Card

West Ham United secured their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a narrow 1-0 victory over third tier side Burton Albion on Saturday, despite finishing the match with only ten players.

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo watched his team pushed into extra time, but Crysencio Summerville finally broke through the resilient hosts defence, netting his sixth goal across his previous seven outings in various competitions.

Freddie Potts received his marching orders for West Ham shortly after Summervilles goal during the opening phase of extra time, yet the Premier League outfit managed to withstand the pressure in a tough fourth round encounter.

Sitting just three points above the relegation zone in the top flight, the Hammers shaky performance is unlikely to calm supporter anxieties regarding their battle to stay up.

Fans of West Ham staged a protest by flying a banner over the Pirelli Stadium demanding that co owners David Sullivan and Karren Brady sell the club, and those in the stands voiced chants urging the board to be dismissed.

The London club had shown improvement recently, claiming three victories in their most recent five league fixtures and earning a draw against Manchester United earlier in the week.

Nuno rotated his squad extensively with ten alterations, focusing resources on the Premier Leagues survival fight.

Both West Ham and Burton occupied positions in their leagues drop zones, with a staggering 47 place gap between them in the overall English football structure.

However, West Ham began sluggishly, failing to enter the Burton box until the 20 minute mark.

The visitors faced early threats, including a sharp low effort from Tyrese Shade that required a solid save by goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

It took until the 37th minute for West Ham to register their first attempt, as Callum Wilsons curling shot was comfortably gathered by Burton custodian Bradley Collins.

The Hammers improved slightly following the break.

Collins thwarted a powerful header from Konstantinos Mavropanos and then parried Wilsons fierce volley over the crossbar.

Soungoutou Magassa was also stopped by the alert keeper, but West Ham broke the deadlock just five minutes into extra time.

In an otherwise uninspiring affair, Summerville produced a spark of brilliance, surging forward on the left before unleashing a deflected rocket into the upper corner from distance.

Substitute Potts was shown a red card for a wild challenge on Julian Larsson at the 101 minute point.

Burtons Jack Armer and Kyran Lofthouse squandered opportunities to level the score and push the game to spot kicks.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Manchester City welcome fourth tier local rivals Salford City, owned by ex Manchester United players Gary Neville and David Beckham.

Liverpool host Brighton at Anfield, Aston Villa take on Newcastle, and Burnley entertain third tier Mansfield.