OPINION
Wouldn’t you just know it? West Ham United, with eight games in a row without a win, came to Stamford Bridge and beat Champions League-chasing Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday.
It could have been more, as well, with a second goal ruled out by VAR in the second half. This was typical West Ham, though, as manager Manuel Pellegrini was given a much-needed reprieve by his players.
The Chilean made four changes for the game and, while it was goalkeeper David Martin replacing Roberto between the sticks that grabbed the headlines, it was perhaps versatile forward Michail Antonio who made the biggest impression in west London.
The 29-year-old is surely now undroppable after the belter he produced against Frank Lampard’s side. The Englishman led the line with Sebastien Haller dropped, and did a terrific job, better than the Frenchman has managed for weeks.
So whether you play Antonio up top alongside Haller or stick with the former Nottingham Forest man as the line-leader, Antonio simply has to start moving forward.
He certainly didn’t look like a man making just his third start of the season on Saturday [Source: Transfermarkt]. The statistics show just how impactful he was at the Bridge.
As per WhoScored.com, the Hammers star had three shots – two of them on target – as well as producing three successful dribbles. He also produced a cross and one long ball forward.
He didn’t keep the ball well, completing just 50% of his passes, but that’s what you get with Antonio. You take the good with the bad, because you know that the good is enough to cause the opposition nightmares.
The fact that he came away with a WhoScored rating of 7.44 tells you he was one of the very best players on the pitch on Saturday. How could you leave him out?
