PHOTO: Children Take Shelter on Burnley Bench As Supporters Cause Chaos at West Ham

A number of children were allowed to take refuge on the Burnley bench on Saturday afternoon, as home supporters at West Ham United's London Stadium protested during their 3-0 defeat to Burnley.

As reported by the Mirror, Burnley players Sam Vokes and Phil Bardsley offered up their place in the technical area to two youngsters, as the scenes in the stands became increasingly hostile as a number of fans expressed their anger towards the club board. 

The game was also stopped repeatedly, as a number of pitch invasions contributed to the hostile atmosphere.

Both West Ham and the Premier League have made statements condemning the behaviour of supporters involved in the protest - which also saw a large number of fans leaving their seats to stand in front of the directors box to air their grievances to the assembled senior figures of the board.

After the game club legend Sir Trevor Brooking claimed that Hammers co-owner David Sullivan was struck by a coin during the ugly scenes, while West Ham have launched an enquiry in response and have called an emergency meeting with all London Stadium shareholders on Saturday night.

On the pitch, things weren't much better for the Hammers - with David Moyes' side comprehensively beaten 3-0 by the Clarets. Sean Dyche's side took the lead after Ashley Barnes netted a stunning strike midway through the first half. Chris Wood doubled the lead soon after, before the New Zealander netted again in the 81st minute after a Joe Hart blunder.

Meanwhile, Moyes has issued a rallying cry to his players after their abject defeat to the Clarets - calling on his side to stick together and turn their form around as they prepare to enter what is set to be an enthralling relegation battle at the bottom of the table. 

The lower half of the Premier League is tightly-packed, and the survival scrap could well go down to the last day of the season.