MOYESY PLOTS MIC DO & MEND
‘IF I CAN’T BUY A STRIKER...I’LL MAKE ONE!’
THINGS are certainly going swimmingly for West Ham after Michail Antonio’s strike made it three wins and three draws in seven Premier League games. The frontman, who is working his way back from two hamstring injuries, scored early on and then dropped to the turf to perform a backstroke along the touchline. The bizarre celebration was the result of a dare from his Hammers team-mate Declan Rice after beating his pal in a video-game contest. A dare that a man who loves a good celebration was always going to accept. It was a goal that needed enjoying as well.
Said Benrahma unlocked Burnley’s defence with a lovely pass, Jarrod Bowen laid the ball out to Pablo Fornals and his cross fell kindly for Antonio, courtesy of an inadvertent flick-on from Ben Mee, with the striker sliding it home.
“As the No.9 I’m expected to score goals and now that I’m back I expect it too,” said Antonio.
Hammers boss David Moyes (left) was delighted with Antonio’s efforts.
He said: “Micky was very good for someone who is just coming back from injury.
“We’re trying to bring him along slowly and if it had been a bit easier we’d have tried to bring him off earlier.
“But we needed him to worry them and it was important to get another 90 minutes under his belt. We will need to be careful with him, we don’t expect him to play every minute in every game.”
Moyes added: “Micky has shown a great level of robustness in the last six months and hopefully we can get him back to that.”
But there’s no question that the Hammers still find themselves a striker light after selling Sebastien Haller to Ajax.
That was a move that Moyes has admitted was not in his transfer window masterplan – but just the result of an offer West Ham couldn’t refuse.
It’s left the Hammers playing catch-up in terms of finding – and landing – suitable targets in the current window.
Moyes admitted: “If we can strengthen we will, we’ve tried with two or three already and we’ll try some more if we have to. “We’re aware we can’t play Michail for 90 minutes in every game so we’ll probably look to bring someone in.
“We’ve already made big enquiries and offers to clubs for players.
“They’ve obviously not been accepted so far otherwise I would have someone. It is not as if we’re not trying to do that, we have tried.
“But I do need to try to get players who would make a difference – and I want it to be someone who I think can help us.
“If I don’t find them, I might need to look more short term, just to get me through and to give me another
We’ve made big offers but they have not been accepted ...I’ll have to try and find us a centre forward from someone else in the squad
GLEE-SY DOES IT! Antonio’s early strike got the bubbles blowing player. But if still not then I’ll use the young players – or I’ll have to try and find us a centre forward from someone else already in the squad.
“But if Micky can regain his real form, and where he has been in recent months, that would be the big thing for us.
“He is getting closer, another 90 minutes and a goal today.
“It is what we have really missed so we’re glad to have him back.”
For Burnley’s part, it looked as though Jay Rodriguez’s return to full match fitness can’t come quickly enough given the lack of spark going forward yesterday.
This defeat, coupled with Brighton’s win at Leeds, leaves Sean Dyche’s men hovering ominously above the drop zone.
Half-time substitute Dwight Mcneil did add a little creativity but it wasn’t enough to ever give West
BACK OF THE NET... Michail Antonio makes it 1-0 after just nine minutes
Ham any real cause for concern. Dyche said: “It’s a tough one in the respect that it was a softer goal than usual for us to concede, but I’m not going to question our centre-halves because they were excellent.
“West Ham didn’t have too many other chances apart from at the end when we were going for it.
“It was just about finding the detail in the front third.
“We kept it well at times but
IT’S A HEAD SCRATCHER Sean Dyche will struggle to recall many big Burnley chances
couldn’t find the killer moment and that’s the question mark of our season so far.”
West Ham were unlucky when Mee kicked the ball on to the impressive Angelo Ogbonna’s head and it hit a post. Then the Clarets man cleared off the line a header from Antonio that lacked real power.
A Mcneil cross hit the bar for Burnley – but that was the closest they came to scoring.