Noble pushes Burnley to the brink

London - Mark Noble pushed Burnley to the brink of relegation from the Premier League as the West Ham midfielder's penalty sealed a 1-0 win over the 10-man Clarets on Saturday.

Sean Dyche's team had defender Michael Duff controversially sent off midway through the first half at Upton Park and Noble converted the resulting spot-kick to condemn the visitors to their fourth successive defeat.

Burnley remain rooted to the bottom of the table, eight points from safety with only three matches left, and look certain to suffer a quick return to the Championship just 12 months after their promotion.