MICHAIL ANTONIO was in action for the West Ham U21s in their defeat to Manchester City.
It was a dark night for the Hammers as Graham Potter‘s side were hammered 5-1 at the London Stadium by Chelsea.
GettyMichail Antonio was in action for West Ham’s U21s again[/caption]
AlamyThe team lost 3-1 to Man City[/caption]
The youngsters, with the help of Antonio, were unable to do much better in their Premier League 2 tie with Manchester City.
Antonio, 35, started the game but had to watch on as his side went 3-0 down.
The Cityzens put themselves in a comfortable position thanks to goals from Ryan McAidoo, Reigan Hesky and Justin Oboavwodou.
Antonio was on the bench by the time Mohamadou Kanté netted a 94th-minute consolation at the City Football Academy.
He was snapped by photographers during the match, challenging for the ball with Heskey and Femi Fapetu.
It is the second time the veteran striker has played for the development team since his release from West Ham.
The Hammers are allowing Antonio to continue using the club’s facilities in order to support his rehab from injury.
The forward is working his way back to full fitness after his horrific car crash last December.
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The crash left him with a broken leg and needing to learn to walk again.
He has earned some work away from the pitch as he was confirmed as a pundit by TNT Sports for the 2025/26 season.
Antonio has claimed that he has held talks with a number of clubs over a deal but it yet to commit to any of them.
Meanwhile, the damming result against the Blues could have the Hammers hierarchy reconsidering their decision to release him.
Lucas Paqueta netted a sublime opening goal in the 6th minute before the game took a turn.
Chelsea equalised through Joao Pedro, and the Hammers had a Niclas Fullkrug goal ruled out by VAR for an offside on Jean-Clair Todibo.
GettyThe senior team were beaten 5-1 by Chelsea at the London Stadium[/caption]
GettyThe defeat leaves them slumped at the bottom of the Premier League[/caption]
From then on, the match was only going one way as Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez scored before the break.
Enzo Maresca‘s side completed the rout in the second half as Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah both converted chances to make it FIVE.
The result leaves West Ham rotting at the bottom of the Premier League table with no points after two games and eight goals conceded
Many supporters did not hang around in the London Stadium to watch the humiliation as they streamed out of the converted athletics ground.
West Ham‘s transfer window has lacked serious quality, leaving Potter short in multiple areas of the pitch.
The club have spent on Malick Diouf and Mads Hermansen as well as adding free agents Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson.
But this has not made up for the loss of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham and the exits of multiple leaders on free transfers.
Long-serving players such as Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, and Vladimir Coufal were all among those who were let go.
It does not get easier for Potter and his side as they next face a trip to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest.
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