West Ham United got off to a flying start in the new season of the Premier League beating Newcastle United 4-2 and Michail Antonio was the star of the show.
Newcastle made the perfect start, taking the lead within five minutes of that match and despite West Ham making a comeback in the 18th minute, the first half ended 2-1 in favour of the Magpies.
But, in the second half, the Hammers were a totally different beast as they scored thrice to tilt the match in their favour and enter the top-four of the table after matchweek one.
Despite missing a penalty, Michail Antonio still managed to score one goal and assist another one and this top level performance garnered a lot of praise from pundit Micah Richards.
Richards said, as quoted: “This is brilliant. He wants the number nine shirt and this is why. He was absolutely everywhere today. Look at the intelligence of the run.
“He’s such an intelligent player. He’s known for his pace and power but there his movement and the way he’s thinking about the game, brilliant.”
Can Moyes trust on Michail Antonio?
Michail Antonio had an xG of 1.49 and an xA of 0.15 on Sunday and these are great numbers to kick off the campaign.
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Last season, the 31-year-old scored 10 goals and provided five assists in the Premier League and he undoubtedly has his manager’s full trust.
But now that West Ham United are in Europe, David Moyes will have to bring in a new centre-back to act as a backup to Michail Antonio.
There’s no way Antonio will be able to shoulder all the load throughout this season which is why West Ham United need to bring in an apt partner before deadline day.
If the Hammers do not bring in a proper partner then Michail Antonio’s performances will start to dip as the season heads into the final stages.
