David Moyes nails Michail Antonio decision as West Ham United XI confirmed v Everton
David Moyes got it spot on to not include Michail Antonio in his starting lineup for the West Ham game against Everton on Saturday (2 March).
The Jamaican international was dropped to the bench for the 4-2 victory over Brentford on 26 February, where he came on as a late substitute for Lucas Paqueta.
It was the Brazilian international who replaced the 33-year-old in the starting lineup as he made his return to the side after missing seven weeks with a calf injury.
The Hammers boss has named an unchanged side against the Toffees from the one that saw off the Bees at the London Stadium.
Ahead of kick-off, the Irons confirmed via their official Twitter account that Alphonse Areola will start in goal, with Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Emerson making up the back four.
Edson Alvarez will be joined in midfield by Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse, with Mohammed Kudus, Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen starting in the attacking positions.
That means Antonio will have to take up a place on the bench again after he put in a poor display on his return from injury against Forest, where his side suffered a 2-0 defeat.
Despite spending a few months on the sidelines, the forward has been in pretty disappointing form so far during this campaign, having scored just two goals in 16 appearances.
In his 76 minutes on the field at the City Ground, he had just 76 touches of the ball and was unsuccessful with the three dribbles he attempted across the afternoon [SofaScore].
The Jamaican had no shots on target and won just three of his 13 ground duels as he did little to help his side get up the pitch.
The Hammers were much more fluid going forward against Brentford with Paqueta in the side to complement the threats posed by Kudus and Bowen, who scored a hattrick in the game.
Moyes has come under some criticism for his side’s performances in recent weeks, but he made the right decision to not start Antonio and stick with a winning side at Goodison Park.
In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports pundit has blasted the Hammers fans after what they did to Moyes.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.