Confidence is key in top-flight football – and there was no shortage of it coursing through Claret and Blue shirts in West Ham’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
That is the view of forward Michail Antonio who, along with fellow goalscorers Sebastien Haller and Jarrod Bowen and playmaker Pablo Fornals, carved open a myriad of chances against the Saints in a free-flowing team display at London Stadium.
Such a performance belied the Hammers’ difficult run of recent results, as they went into Saturday’s fixture seeking their first win in eight Premier League games.
The key was keeping the tempo high, finishing the opportunities that we had and basically just pressing and playing free
Michail Antonio
Yet Antonio believes that it was their previous match – the late 3-2 loss at league leaders Liverpool the preceding Monday – which helped inject the conviction to fuel their impressive showing later in the week.
“It was a massive win,” he smiled afterwards. “Obviously we went seven games without winning. We played a good game on [the] Monday and basically brought the confidence from that game into this game.
“The key was keeping the tempo high, finishing the opportunities that we had and basically just pressing and playing free.
“It’s being able to put the ball in the back of the net, and try and stay solid and work together as a team. We pressed high and won the ball high, and I wouldn’t say we had as much possession as they did, but we took our opportunities when we did.
“Obviously the last few weeks we’ve been playing under pressure in the situation that we’re in, and we kind of just, off the performance we had on Monday, realised we can play, that we can do it – and we went out and did it.”
West Ham got off to the perfect start to Saturday’s game when home debutant Bowen netted inside 15 minutes, lofting Pablo Fornals’ through-ball over Southampton keeper Alex McCarthy.
Making full use of the pace and power within the team, the Hammers continued to create chances in the first period and, despite the Saints drawing level through Michael Obafemi’s looping finish, never seemed uncertain they would go on to secure three points.
We need to play well and when we get on the ball, keep the ball and believe. When we keep the individual mistakes out, we perform well and we create
Michail Antonio
Looking ahead after the match, Antonio has called on his teammates to carry such a positive collective mentality forwards as they look to push onwards – and hopefully upwards – in the Premier League table.
“We’ve got to go out there, have a go, score goals, create goals, and defend and work as a team,” he said. “Right now we need to have eleven men out there chasing, working hard and just showing what we can do.
“We need to play well and when we get on the ball, keep the ball and believe. When we keep the individual mistakes out, we perform well and we create.
“When he [manager David Moyes] came in, he said he believed we had a better a squad than when he came in the first time, so we’ve got the squad to do it, we just need to perform."
If a single moment could have perfectly encapsulated the feeling around London Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it came midway through the second half, when, with West Ham 3-1 up, a perfectly weighted ‘Rabona’ pass from Haller put Antonio in on goal.
Although McCarthy was able to save the 29-year-old’s effort away with his legs on that occasion, appreciation and admiration rippled throughout the stadium, with Antonio himself paying tribute to the audacious moment of skill.
“I’m devastated for him [Haller] to be fair!” he laughed. “That pass was unbelievable, literally right on my feet, but Alex McCarthy just managed to get his foot to it.
“I’m devastated myself – it would’ve been my third goal this season. I need more goals, to be fair!”
