ANT AND DEC
Crisis... what crisis? ’Buzzing’ Hammers really have got talent and their dream duo are planning more laughs against Liverpool as well as Europa glory
MICHAIL ANTONIO says West Ham are buzzing and will seal their Premier League survival by beating Liverpool tomorrow.
And the Jamaica striker said David Moyes’s side can stage an “unbelievable” finish to the season by winning the Europa Conference League and staying up.
After flirting so long with relegation, the Hammers have lost only once in 10 matches to recapture the vibrant form of last season and move six points clear of the drop zone.
And they face AZ Alkmaar in a second consecutive European semi-final next month as they seek a first trophy since 1980.
After Sunday’s 4-0 win at Bournemouth, the feel-good factor is in stark contrast to the poor fare served up for most of their disppointing campaign.
Eight players were involved in the four goals at Bournemouth to send Hammers fans home happy at the end of an “excellent week” for Moyes (left).
His side fought back from two down against Arsenal to go on to score 10 goals in three games.
And Antonio (above, left), scorer of the first goal at the Vitality Stadium, said: “It has clicked since the start of the year. We hadn’t been the best overall before that.
“The last week has settled the boys. It draws us away from the pack, giving us a cushion away from those in the relegation zone. It’s a good turnaround in a week and we keep momentum going as obviously we are trying to win the cup now.
“This last month of the season with the semi-final can become unbelievable, I feel another win secures Premier League for next year. We’re buzzing.”
West Ham, in 13th spot in the Premier League on 34 points, entertain Liverpool tomorrow night hoping for a repeat of last season’s 3-2 win (below, Kurt Zouma scoring the winner).
England star Declan Rice reckons Hammers still need two wins from their final seven games to be safe. “The benchmark is 40 points so it is important we don’t get too comfortable,” said Rice. “We have Liverpool next and we relish those kind of nights.”
West Ham and Forest are the only two clubs in the bottom half of the table not to change managers during this campaign.
Hammers chief Moyes, who spent £150million in the summer, said the recent performances of Lucas Paqueta have contributed to the club’s muchimproved performances.
“We’ve had to look at what we’ve done over the season,” admitted Moyes. “We bought in a lot of new players to develop and become better in certain aspects and a lot of it hasn’t worked as well as we’d have liked.
“But Lucas Paqueta got us a really good goal. He’s got a wee bit to prove but he played very well.”