ANTONIO TOLD HE’S LET TEAM-MATES DOWN

AFTER the bedlam sparked by Wilfried Zaha’s 97th-minute equaliser, West Ham’s dressing room was strangely quiet. You would have put your house on Mark Noble losing it, particularly after his furious confrontation with Crystal Palace’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek after the final whistle. Eight days earlier, the Hammers skipper ripped into his team-mates after West Ham’s 3-0 loss at home to Brighton. Not this time, though. Slaven Bilic’s men were stunned into silence; losing a 2-0 lead can do that to a team. In fairness, there was no need for a post-mortem this time. Everyone knows why the Hammers didn’t leave Selhurst Park with all three points. Everyone knows who was to blame: Michail Antonio. Quite why the Hammers forward felt it was necessary to fire a tame cross into Julian Speroni’s arms instead of keeping the ball in the corner deep into injury time will remain a mystery. Thirty seconds later, Zaha was firing past Joe Hart to send Selhurst Park into a frenzy. Antonio’s team-mates

won’t throw him under the bus. But make no mistake, the fingers are being pointed in private. Bilic didn’t hesitate in letting Antonio (right) know he had let his team down during his post-match press conference. But Angelo Ogbonna should take his fair share of the responsibility, too. His needless challenge on Andros Townsend handed Palace a route back into the game from the spot after strikes from Javier Hernandez and Andre Ayew had given West Ham a 2-0 half-time advantage. But once the dust settles, Bilic can reflect on a positive week which has brought a victory against Tottenham and this away point as he fights to keep his job. ‘Look, the team is giving its best, the team has confidence, the team is playing,’ said Bilic. Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes his side’s stirring comeback can galvanise their attempts at a great escape. He said: ‘I’m not surprised when players are still going strong in the 95th, 96th minute because I’ve seen this team get fitter and stronger over the last six weeks.’