JOHANN Berg Gudmundsson has been involved in his fair share of history this week and he followed his international heroics with a key role in Burnley bringing up their longest top flight unbeaten run in more than 42 years.

The winger was the hero for Iceland as they qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history, before rising from the bench at Turf Moor to set up Chris Wood’s 85th minute equaliser for the Clarets against West Ham.

Burnley were in need of inspiration as they sought a way through the visitors’ deep defence, which had retreated after Andy Carroll saw red for 99 seconds of madness not long after the Hammers had taken the lead.

Gudmundsson might have earned a start after his two goals in a week for his country, but if he felt he had a point to make to his club side he did just that when called on from the bench at the break.

He could have levelled himself when a shot hit the post before a moment of old-fashioned wing play saw him create a yard for a cross that had Wood’s eyes lighting up.

It had been the least Burnley had deserved for their pressure on Joe Hart’s goal, but it didn’t provide the defining answer to as whether the Clarets will have the tools to unlock deep defences at Turf Moor this season.

The home record of 2016/17 has changed how teams view a trip to these parts now. West Brom and Huddersfield adopted a safety first approach which the hosts struggled to penetrate, despite enjoying plenty of possession in both games.

It was a similar scenario against Slaven Bilic’s side, with Burnley in control of the ball before Michail Antonio’s 19th minute sucker punch. When Carroll left his mark on James Tarkowski and Ben Mee in less than two minutes, the West Ham defence was only going one way.

Without deadline day signing Nahki Wells the Clarets lack the pace to offer much of a threat in behind, relying on moments of creativity or crosses into the box to force chances, with the latter paying dividends on Saturday.

Before Carroll’s dismissal Wood had sent a header straight at Hart, while Scott Arfield, Steven Defour and Robbie Brady had tried their luck from distance with varying results.

Burnley would be kicking themselves at the way they ceded the initiative though. There seemed little threat when Hart came to clear a backpass, but Mee missed his clearance and Antonio touched the ball beyond Pope before tapping the ball home.

Then came the Andy Carroll show. He was already unhappy with perceived use of the elbow from Tarkowski, and his anger crew when he was booked for a foul on the centre half instead. The next time the ball was in the air he flew into an aerial challenge with Mee, elbow first, and could have little complaint at what followed.

If anything the red card made it tougher for Burnley, as West Ham defended deep and looked to waste time. Jeff Hendrick and Defour again fired over from range, while Hart escaped a penalty appeal when he brought down Wood before making contact with the ball.

The Hammers threatened on the break early in the second half, with Antonio inches away from connecting with Manuel Lanzini’s cross before he forced a save from Pope after a sweeping move.

Gudmundsson then rattled the woodwork with his drive before coming up with the defining moment. His cross was perfect for Wood to make it six Premier League games unbeaten for the Clarets.