BURNLEY, October 18, 2014 (AFP) – West Ham gave manager Sam Allardyce an early 60th birthday present by moving into the top four with a 3-1 win at Burnley on Saturday.

Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and the much-maligned Carlton Cole got on the scoresheet in the second half with George Boyd netting for the hosts, who remain one off the bottom.

It was West Ham’s third win in their last four matches while Burnley’s wait for a first victory since returning to the top flight continues.

With Allardyce turning 60 on Sunday, the Hammers put in another sparkling performance, although they were lucky in truth to reach half-time on level terms after a goalless first period.

Boyd rattled their bar early on with a thumping volley after chesting down a cross from Kieran Trippier.

Burnley then had the ball in the net but Danny Ings’s close-range tap-in, after goalkeeper Adrian had saved from Lukas Jutkiewicz, was ruled out for offside.

West Ham were next to strike the woodwork as Stewart Downing curled a shot around goalkeeper Tom Heaton, only to see it lick the outside of the post and fly away to safety.

The breakthrough came just five minutes after the restart as Senegal striker Sakho headed in his sixth goal in his last six games.

Just four minutes after that Ecuador forward Valencia powered home Carl Jenkinson’s right-wing cross with his head.

Cole almost made it three but just after his shot was hacked off the line, Burnley struck, Boyd converting from close range after Adrian made a hash of a corner.

Yet 20 minutes from time the Irons did score their third, with another header as Cole was not denied this time around.