Michail Antonio
West Ham United manager David Moyes has delivered his verdict on both Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen after the two attackers played pivotal roles in the comeback against Leeds United at Elland Road. The Hammers followed up their 1-0 win against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-1 victory over Marcelo Bielsa’s side. Antonio returned to domestic action following his red card and subsequent suspension picked up against Southampton, and he repaid his teammates with a brilliant last-gasp winner. It sparked jubilant scenes in the away end and, although he admitted it was a great finish, Moyes says the West Ham talisman was still far from his best on Saturday.
David Moyes said: “I’ve seen him play better. He missed a couple of chances at the start but when you’re a centre forward you’re always hoping that an opportunity comes to you to get that goal and then Mickey did it. He’s been really terrific for us since he’s become a centre forward. I didn’t think it was his best game, but I certainly thought his finish was magic and he missed one or two in the first half, but he will play much better and the team will play much better than we did today – but it was really good.”
Bowen played a huge role in the equalising goal, cutting inside onto his left foot and firing a shot off Junior Firpo, resulting in an own goal from the former Barcelona man.
David Moyes said: “If you asked me in pre-season who I thought looked the fittest and in the best condition, [it would be him]. He came back a bit lighter than before and was in great nick and came back better than before. Jarrod has great energy, he has loads of it, he has bundles of it. We have been asking him to get a couple of goals and he has been a bit unlucky today with the deflection but ultimately we want him to get into goalscoring positions to get the goals, he got some last season and I think he can do better this year.”
