Liverpool just made Michail Antonio eat his words as Darwin Núñez gets last laugh over West Ham
Michail Antonio had plenty to say in the build-up to West Ham’s trip to Anfield, but the striker had an afternoon to forget as Liverpool got the last laugh.
The pre-match speech is an often-vaunted part of football, although how much difference it truly makes is up for debate.
For Liverpool against West Ham though, Jürgen Klopp might not have needed to provide any inspiration for his team. Michail Antonio had already given the Reds all the ammunition they needed.
The Hammers striker was particularly outspoken in the build-up to the game at Anfield. Clearly feeling confident, Antonio declared his belief that his side would finish above Liverpool this season, and come out on top on Merseyside.
“I am backing myself over Liverpool,” he said on the Footballer’s Football Podcast. “You know what, I think we are going to finish higher than Liverpool this season. I’m putting it out there.
“I watched the game [Wolves vs Liverpool] because it was before our game and Wolves could have run away with it! They had quite a few opportunities. We’ve got them this weekend and it’s a six-pointer. We’ve got them!”
If you talk the talk, you’ve got to be able to walk the walk. Antonio, emphatically, could not.
His afternoon didn’t get off to the best start as he missed a glaring opportunity inside the opening 10 minutes, somehow skewing his header wide in front of the Kop with the goal at his mercy.
From there, he didn’t trouble Alisson at all. Liverpool kept him under wraps, and his touches were greeted with some boos, showing his comments didn’t go unnoticed by the Anfield crowd.
Antonio’s misguided confidence is certainly not the first instance of this, and likely won’t be the last, but his comments do provide a good indicator of where Liverpool is at this season.
Though teams might feel they have a way in against the Reds, Klopp’s side is just too powerful and clinical to be written off, and though West Ham do look a stronger prospect this season, they still have a long way to go.
Antonio’s next podcast might be worth a listen.
