Gaffe means Antonio is a no-no for Gareth

JOE HART looked as if he could kill. He described West Ham’s play for Crystal Palace’s equalising goal as ‘unprofessional’ and everyone knew who he meant. Michail Antonio’s decision to deliver a lousy cross, rather than take the final seconds out of the game with the ball in the corner was one of the defining moments of the weekend — maybe of West Ham’s season if results continue to go awry. Former players queued to give their damning verdict. ‘Brainless’ was as polite as it got. The greatest consequence, however, will come as Gareth Southgate names his England squads in World Cup year. The stakes in international games are enormous. At that level, the error made by Antonio (below) could mean a tournament exit. In 1993, as France played Bulgaria, with the scores tied at 1-1 and the clock ticking down, David Ginola over-hit a cross meant for Eric Cantona. Bulgaria broke, scored, and France missed out on the World Cup. Gerard Houllier, the manager, called Ginola ‘the assassin of the team’. The higher the stakes, the more game intelligence is crucial. For all his talent, Ginola’s international career did not recover from that mistake. Antonio is no Ginola — and Southgate is in no position to take risks.