West Ham United: Vladimir Coufal sends Michail Antonio two-word message after Aston Villa draw
Vladimir Coufal has sent a two-word message to Michail Antonio after West Ham drew 1-1 with Aston Villa on Sunday (17 March).
Antonio opened the scoring against Unai Emery’s high-flyers, heading home a brilliantly whipped cross into the box by Coufal, who grabbed his seventh Premier League assist of the season.
Despite being pegged back late on by Nicolo Zaniolo, the Hammers were able to claim a well-earned point, with Antonio scoring his first goal since August 2023.
Responding to the striker’s Instagram post on Sunday (17 March), Coufal wrote: “Goal machine,” followed by heart eyes and flame emojis.
How important is Michail Antonio to West Ham United?
The 33-year-old is a vital aspect of David Moyes’ squad, proving so since his return from injury in all-important matches against Freiburg and Villa.
While Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell and Mohammed Kudus all got on the scoresheet against Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday 14 March, Antonio was arguably the Man of the Match.
He backed up that performance with a well-taken header against the Villans at the London Stadium on Sunday, showing just how important his strength, ability and football IQ are to this West Ham team.
Having taken James Ward-Prowse out of the starting XI in recent matches, the Hammers have been allowed much more freedom on the pitch, with Paqueta pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
This has meant that Bowen and Kudus have been able to flourish out wide, with the former no longer needed out of position as a striker.
Bowen is still the club’s top scorer this season, netting 18 goals in all competitions, but there is no doubt that he is much more comfortable on the wing.
Antonio’s return has been highly anticipated by many at the London Stadium and has only backed that up with his displays and goal against Villa.
In other West Ham news, a Real Madrid transfer for Lucas Paqueta has been mooted.
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