Stephen Kelly drools over Michail Antonio after West Ham United v Fulham
Stephen Kelly has showered heaps of praise on West Ham striker Michail Antonio after the Hammers won 3-1 against Fulham on Sunday in the Premier League.
Antonio came off the bench in the final ten minutes and scored the final goal for the Hammers to seal all three points.
Gianluca Scamacca scored for a third successive game while Jarrod Bowen also got his name on the scoresheet as well after Andreas Pereira gave the visitors the lead after just six minutes.
“As a defender, if you have him coming off the bench for the last 20 minutes, he is one of the last players you want to see,” said Kelly on BBC Football Daily Podcast (9 October).
“He runs in channels, he’s aggressive, erratic in his movement and it’s hard to know what he is going to do next.”
Competition
The Hammers badly needed a striker, and they finally signed one this summer. The club signed Gianluca Scamacca on a big-money fee who joined from Sassuolo.
The Italy striker has now scored in three consecutive games, and he is gradually adapting to the new system at the club.
For the last couple of seasons, Antonio had to shoulder the onerous burden of scoring goals. Apart from Bowen, he had really no one to help him out.
David Moyes couldn’t drop him as he had no other strikers with him. But with Scamacca on the side, Moyes can give Antonio the rest to keep him fresh.
Antonio is a powerful striker, and he can be a terror for the opposition defenders, especially if he is coming off the bench. His pace and power can cause problems for tiring defenders.
At the same time, Antonio would love to play regularly as well, and that is where proper man-management comes into play. So far, Moyes is getting the best out of both of his strikers.