Michail Antonio holds the key to West Ham United victory, can haunt Chelsea once again
David Moyes will be hoping that Michail Antonio can continue his current form as West Ham travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Sunday (5 May).
The Hammers have the potential to complete the Premier League double over their London rivals this weekend, having won the reverse fixture 3-1 at the London Stadium in August.
While both sides have experienced disappointing seasons, they can both finish the season in a European spot, albeit the Europa Conference League qualification berth in sixth place (although seventh could still yet clinch it).
Following Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Tottenham on Thursday (2 May), the Blues have leapfrogged West Ham into eighth place, but with just two points separating the sides, there is all to play for on Sunday.
With this in mind, Moyes will be hoping that the in-form Antonio brings his shooting boots once again, having notched three goals in his last three appearances, and he has haunted Chelsea before.
The 34-year-old has faced Chelsea 11 times in his career, grabbing six wins and three draws while notching three goals and two assists in those matches. [Transfermarkt]
Considering his recent form, it would be foolish to bet against Antonio at Stamford Bridge, especially with Chelsea’s up-and-down form and current injury woes.
Michail Antonio can help West Ham United haunt Chelsea
Antonio is currently in his best form of the season, having scored against Bayer Leverkusen, Crystal Palace and Liverpool despite two of those matches ending in draws and the other a 5-2 defeat.
The striker helped salvage a tremendous draw against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, scoring with a 100 per cent shot accuracy, as well as causing plenty of havoc by winning 100 per cent of his ground duels. [FotMob]
Though he has only scored seven goals in all competitions this season, his all-round play is far more important to the Hammers, which is proven by his underlying stats.
As per FBref, among strikers in Europe’s top five leagues, Antonio ranks in the top 87 percentile for progressive carries and the top 89 percentile for successful take-ons.
In addition to this, Chelsea were without Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill and Axel Disasi for their clash with Spurs, all of whom would be a good match-up for Antonio.
The clash at Stamford Bridge won’t be easy for the Hammers but Antonio can be a crucial weapon.
In other West Ham news, new manager links have been branded “embarrassing”.
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.