West Ham manager David Moyes heaps praise on influential striker Michail Antonio
Moyes praises Antonio after receiving the POTM award
It would be an understatement to say that Michail Antonio is having the absolute time of his life for West Ham in recent times. The England international was the recent recipient of the Premier League Player of the Month award for August after his superb start to the 2021-22 campaign which sees him topping the goal-scoring charts with four in the opening three fixtures.
You’re looking at August’s Premier League Player of the Month! 🏆
Congratulations, @Michailantonio! 👏
— West Ham United (@WestHam) September 10, 2021
On the back of his efforts, West Ham has taken seven from a possible nine points to kick-start a season that has already proven that their success from last season was by no means a fluke.
Hammers boss David Moyes praised his headline center-forward during his pre-match press conference before West Ham clash with Southampton tomorrow on the south coast;
“A lot about how we started the season is because his [Antonio] goals have been excellent for us. His play has been very good. He came back to pre-season in good condition and he’s worked hard through that period. I
think hes’s a boy that needs a good period of training in him, and I’ve got to say, he’s done great for the team and I remember he missed a penalty kick at Newcastle as well, so he could certainly have had more goals, but he’s been terrific for us and long may that continue.”
Antonio the talk of the town at West Ham in a late-career surge
“I never really thought about becoming the all-time top goalscorer. Because when I first signed for West Ham, I was just trying to get a game.
Every time a new manager came in, I always got dropped to the bench and had to work my way back into the team. So it’s been a big fight for me. To be able to say I’m the all-time top goalscorer, it’s just an amazing feeling.” [quotes sourced from Forbes]
It is not every day that a footballer becomes his club’s all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League era. For Michail Antonio, the West Ham center-forward was hardly a man who many would have dreamed up the current scenario at the London Stadium, but the reality is that the London-native has left his mark on a club with such a storied history is certainly a dream come true.
West Ham United’s English midfielder Michail Antonio (R) celebrates scoring his team’s second goal past Burnley’s English goalkeeper Nick Pope during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and West Ham United at Turf Moor in Burnley, north west England, on May 3, 2021. – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Jon Super / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JON SUPER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Antonio came into the 2021-22 Premier League campaign on form from last season that saw him finish the club’s top scorer of the term on 10-goals, which was good enough to be joint-20th in the league. But his incremental improvements under David Moyes over the last 12-month period has him looking like one of the best strikers in the country, with the new Jamaican international reveling in what is a new lease on life after a career that was hardly guaranteed to ever feature a sustainable presence in the English top flight.
His recent achievements, which almost mirror another late bloomer in Jamie Vardy are the stuff that dreams are made of. And as West Ham’s own magnificent story continues to unfold, Michail Antonio looks set to remain a key figure in their resurgence.
This article was edited by
Ben Browning.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | West Ham United | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Manchester City | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 3 | -1 | 6 |
| 10 | Brentford FC | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Watford FC | 3 | -2 | 3 |
| 13 | Southampton FC | 3 | -2 | 2 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 3 | -4 | 2 |
| 16 | Burnley FC | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 3 | -4 | 1 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| 19 | Norwich City | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| 20 | Arsenal FC | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 1 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 1 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Cantwell, Todd | Norwich City | 0 | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 0 | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 0 | 1 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 1 | 0 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 0 | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 0 | 1 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 0 | 1 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 0 | 1 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 5 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 1 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 1 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Murphy, Jacob | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
