LONDON, CMC – Reggae Boy Michail Antonio, who has said he is open to leaving London Stadium, ended a personal drought when he scored the second goal as West Ham United secured a deserved 2-0 win away at League One Derby County on Monday night, to book an FA Cup fifth-round trip to Manchester United.
Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring after 10 minutes at Pride Park, and the England man then turned provider five minutes after the break when his cross deflected into the path of Antonio to head his fifth goal of the campaign in all competitions from close range.
The goal ended Antonio’s six-match scoring drought spanning two and a half months.
On Antonio scoring, Bowen said: “Massive goal for Micky. We’ve been working on tap-in goals. It was crucial to get a firmer hold of the game.”
West Ham midfielder Pablo Fornals said: “Everyone knows it hasn’t been an easy season, so every game we can win gives us massive confidence.
“We work hard every day in training to get a chance, and then you have to take it. That’s what the players tried to do tonight.
“In this situation, every player wants to help.”
It was the first time manager David Moyes’ side had completed successive victories since October, following last weekend’s Premier League win against fellow strugglers Everton.
The result marked the end of Derby’s 14-match unbeaten run, but manager Paul Warne’s main challenge this season is to try to return to the Championship.
Antonio told a BBC podcast last week that he is open to leaving Hammers in the January window and drawing the curtain on his seven-and-a-half-year stint at the club.
But Moyes, knowing his other two strikers – Gianluca Scamacca and new signing Danny Ings – are currently injured, has rejected the idea out of hand.
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