Michail Antonio has been one of West Ham's most reliable players over the past nine seasons, but has only played a bit-part role in 2023-24.

Joe Roberts

Sun 29 October 2023 12:19, UK

David Moyes has made eight changes to his starting line-up for West Ham United’s clash against Everton on Sunday.

The club confirmed on X (29 October) that Thilo Kehrer, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Angelo Ogbonna, Emerson, Tomas Soucek, Said Benraham, Pablo Fornals and Danny Ings have all been left out of the side to start against the Toffees.

Emerson is suspended while the other seven have been axed after a shocking performance against Olympiacos in the Europa League on Thursday.

Forward Ings is among those dropped by Moyes with Michail Antonio returning to the XI.

West Ham have suffered back-to-back defeats in all competitions and will be eager to get three points against the struggling Toffees.

Get gone

Antonio has struggled recently for the Hammers and has been a shadow of his former self this season. Their defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League put a huge dent in their European expectations this season, but Antonio’s lack of goals has been a big issue.

David Moyes does not have a wealth of striker options at the club so has been dependent on the 33-year-old, but with just two goals in all competitions this season, many expected him to make way for the bench against Everton.

Sean Dyche’s side will be eager to bounce back after their derby day defeat to Liverpool and facing the Hammers now could prove fruitful as the Toffees bid to move further from the relegation zone.

With Antonio up top, they will have fresh confidence in not conceding.

The Hammers started the season in great form, but recent performances, including their 4-1 Villa defeat and their 2-1 Europa League defeat to Olympiacos, have given the fanbase fresh suspicions about the club’s quality.

A strong win against Everton will put them back on track, but the home crowds may worry about where the goals will come from with Antonio up top at the London Stadium.

In other West Ham news, Stan Collymore has predicted the outcome of “iffy” United’s match with Everton on Sunday (29 October).