West Ham lost again on Boxing Day to pile the pressure on manager Manuel Pellegrini and leave the Hammers just one point above the relegation zone. They were initially ahead against Crystal Palace before the hosts fought back to seal a crushing victory with a 90th-minute winner from Jordan Ayew. Though West Ham were predominantly underwhelming, one individual was exceptional once again for the visitors, and that was Michail Antonio.
The striker was partnered alongside Sebastien Haller and worked tirelessly to hassle the Crystal Palace defence, pressing them whenever he was out of possession. The Englishman made double the number of defensive contributions of his strike partner, displaying excellent positioning to provide an interception. Furthermore, Antonio got back amongst the defence to clear the ball from the West Ham danger area when his defenders needed assistance.
With the ball at his feet, Antonio also excelled, making the fifth-highest number of passes of any West Ham player, again more than Haller. Not only that but the Englishman also boasted a greater pass accuracy than his strike partner, with 67.7 per cent of his passes finding another West Ham player. However, disappointingly all of his three crosses did not manage to reach their intended target, as Antonio failed to threaten the opposition goal from wide areas. Though his single through ball found its intended target and the 29-year-old did play a key pass, which resulted in an assist after his pass to Robert Snodgrass led to the Scotsman scoring the opening goal.
Though Antonio failed to score himself, the Englishman did exert an attacking influence, making a team-high four shots, though only one of those was on target. However, that was half his teams total as only Antonio, and Snodgrass troubled Vicente Guita in the Crystal Palace net. Furthermore, the striker dribbled around four opposition players, again the joint-most in a West Ham shirt, as he provided the majority of the visitors attacking threat.
If West Ham are to start winning games consistently, Antonio is likely to be at the heart of it. He was their standout player against the Eagles and is a strong contender for the accolade of Hammer of the season.
