HAMMER TIME
Antonio hits a double to send West Ham top of the table
NOT since the days of Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford almost a decade ago have the sounds of celebration echoed through the Olympic Park like this.
There was a standing ovation at the start and the end, and rumbles of appreciation for the team built by David Moyes. There were triumphant roars that greeted goals by Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma.
But the noise was off the scale when Michail Antonio found the net to settle the victory against Leicester and celebrate in style — and it was even louder when he scored his second.
It secured his status as West Ham’s top scorer in the Premier League and it gave the home fans a night to remember.
The last time they had packed into this stadium was to see their team win 3-1 against Southampton. It was February 2020, and their first Premier League win for two months as Jarrod Bowen made his debut. Much has happened since, and most of it of a positive nature.
West Ham developed into a force under Moyes to finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League. They are balanced and solid, with character, physical presence and pace on the turnover.
Antonio brought fans back to their feet with a couple of rampaging runs during a strong opening. His strength and acceleration typifies the team. He hauls them forward and occupies defenders even if his final pass or shot can be erratic.
Benrahma fired a snapshot at goal from just outside the penalty area, although not something to extend Kasper Schmeichel, who skipped sideways across his line and gathered the ball without fuss.
Declan Rice lashed another effort over after collecting a clearance from Ricardo Pereira.
The breakthrough came midway through the first half. West Ham won possession and broke quickly through Bowen and Fornals, who moved the ball wide to Benrahma on the left and continued his run into the penalty area. He squared the ball first time and it fell perfectly for Fornals to sweep it into the far corner with his left foot from about 12 yards.
Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester side tried to play but found it difficult to convert their possession into a goal threat during the first half. They did manage to summon a belated response when Ayoze Perez threaded a pass to Pereira, and he fired a shot into the side-netting from a tight angle. But the size of the task changed for the visitors when they were reduced to 10 men before half-time.
Perez was moving back towards his own goal from halfway when he attempted to control a pass from Schmeichel while under pressure from Aaron Cresswell. His touch was heavy and Cresswell’s presence knocked him off balance as he chased the loose ball back into midfield. Fornals beat him in the race and Perez came down on his left ankle with his studs.
The slow motion replay looked awful but referee Michael Oliver was close to the incident and did not blow for a foul. Only when VAR intervened did Oliver go to the pitchside monitor. Looking at the images, it was impossible to draw any other conclusion than it was a dangerous tackle.
There may have been no intent but Fornals was fortunate to be able to carry on and there was a collective gasp of horror when the incident was replayed on the big screens.
West Ham were firmly in control and returned with purpose in the second half. Soucek stabbed a chance over, and Schmeichel parried a header from Antonio, who was found by Fornals.
The second came from a mistake by Caglar Soyuncu, who turned a pass carelessly back towards Schmeichel. Antonio read his intentions and pounced on the error, then had the presence of mind to pull the ball back towards Benrahma, who beat Amartey on the line.
Antonio forced another save from Schmeichel and Cresswell produced a crisp volley that fizzed and dipped over. But Leicester dug in and found a way back. Youri Tielemans, the matchwinner in the FA Cup final, forced the ball past Lukasz Fabianski after his initial effort was blocked.
With 20 minutes still to play, it generated a pulsating finish and it was appropriate the dynamic Antonio should then settle the result in emphatic fashion.
After a comical celebration where he ran over to the side of the pitch and hoisted a cardboard cutout of himself into the air, Antonio said: ‘I’ve not been celebrating lately because of VAR, so I thought I had to make it special.
‘The celebration was Save The Last Dance... the lift from the end. That would have been proper embarrassing if it was ruled out by VAR. You always see me smiling so you’d probably see me laughing as well.
‘It sounds beautiful to be called West Ham’s top Premier League scorer.’
WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6; Coufal 7, Dawson 6, Ogbonna 6, Cresswell 6; Rice 7, Soucek 7; Bowen 7, Fornals 7, Benrahma 7 (Noble 88), Antonio 9 (Yarmolenko 89).
Subs not used: Lanzini, Areola, Diop, Fredericks, Johnson, Coventry, Baptiste. Booked: None.
LEICESTER (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel 6; Pereira 6, Amartey 5, Soyuncu 5, Thomas 6; Ndidi 6, Tielemans 6; Perez 4, Maddison 5 (Soumare 81), Barnes 6 (Daka 65); Vardy 6 (Iheanacho 81). Subs not used: Albrighton, Ward, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall, Praet, Castagne. Booked: Pereira. Sent off: Perez. Man of the match: Michail Antonio Referee: Michael Oliver.