In this most remarkable of seasons, the emergence of Michail Antonio is a story that is as notable as West Ham United’s achievement in challenging for a Champions League place. Antonio helped Slaven Bilic’s fantastically drilled side to leave Goodison Park somehow with all three points, scoring in his third consecutive league match.
In a ridiculously entertaining turnaround against Roberto Martínez’s side, in which West Ham won 3-2 after being 2-0 down with 12 minutes remaining, Antonio proved that while the Barclays Premier League table might lie early on, by March it would pass every known polygraph test.
After signing for Reading in 2008, London-born Antonio learnt his trade with five loan spells, including one with Tooting & Mitcham United, before joining Sheffield Wednesday and then Nottingham Forest, from where he joined West Ham last year.
Antonio had hoped for a more direct route to success. “When I was 14 a Spurs scout watched one of my school games and was looking to sign me and one of my friends,” he said. But Antonio’s mother said no, because he needed to focus on his education. “I was crying,” he said. “I’m not going to lie. I was crying. I was like, ‘You’ve ruined my life, mum.’ ”
Antonio played a key role as West Ham fought back on Saturday after brilliantly worked goals from Romelu Lukaku after 13 minutes and then Aaron Lennon early in the second half gave Everton a comfortable advantage. Kevin Mirallas’s first-half dismissal for two yellow cards meant the home side could never truly relax and their fall began after 69 minutes with a lame Lukaku penalty that Adrián saved with ease. That incident, plus West Ham’s extra man, prompted the visiting team to hit back.
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First, Antonio headed Mark Noble’s cross past the impressive Joel Robles before Diafra Sakho again rose higher than Everton’s defence to find the equaliser. Three minutes had changed the entire contest.
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West Ham became rampant as Everton’s legs and heads went and few were surprised by Dimitri Payet’s well-taken nutmeg finish in the last minute to claim all three points.
It was enough for David Gold, West Ham’s co-owner, to forecast Champions League action when the club leave Upton Park for the former Olympic Stadium next season. “We’re past the halfway point in the season, and we are still entitled to dream,” Gold said. “At the beginning of the season we can all dream, but now it’s becoming a real possibility.”
As for Everton, this was the third time this season they have lost after leading 2-0. Although Martínez’s job is under no imminent threat, he restated the realities of English football’s top flight.“We are in the Premier League, it is the most ruthless league in the world. We all know that,” he said.