West Ham: Journalist raves about Michail Antonio after ‘Unorthodox’ Aston Villa moment
Journalist Tum Balogun of the Daily Mail praised Michail Antonio of West Ham for his play against Aston Villa, pointing up a “unorthodox” incident during Sunday’s 1-1 draw (17 March).
The 33-year-old scored his first goal since the Hammers’ 3-1 victory over Brighton in August, giving the team a well-earned point against the Villans, though they really ought to have taken home more.
After a foul disallowed Antonio’s second goal, Nicolo Zaniolo sprinted in to poke in the equaliser. Tomas Soucek believed he had scored the winning goal, but VAR disqualified him as well.
On Monday, March 18, Balogun wrote for Mail Online on Antonio, saying: “Just when it seems like West Ham has outgrown Michael Antonio, he pops up with a devastating performance.” He is a continual nuisance for defenders because of his power, speed, and intelligence off the ball.
Against Villa, he displayed his remarkable athleticism by performing an unusual diving header from a full yard above the ground. The Jamaican international’s second goal was disallowed because it struck his arm as it entered the goal, but on a different day he would have scored a brace.
“After playing five games since he returned from a knee injury in February, David Moyes’s team has two wins and two draws.”
Can West Ham United finish among the Premier League top six spots?
Following Manchester United closely, David Moyes’ team has a great chance to make amends following an ignominious run of eight games without a victory in all competitions.
They defeated Brentford and Everton 4-2 and 3-1, respectively, to finish that run just in time, and then they faced Freiburg in the Europa League.
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There’s no denying that the Hammers struggled when Antonio was out. Furthermore, it would be incorrect to minimise the importance of Lucas Paqueta’s injury, given his exceptional skill on the field.
His form carried over into the Premier League, when he almost scored twice against the high-flying players of Unai Emery. However, many would contend that his second goal should have stood because of VAR intervention.
