Antonio scores as Hammers, Villa draw 1-1

LONDON, England (CMC):

Jamaica international Michail Antonio scored his first English Premier League goal in eight months yesterday to help West Ham earn a 1-1 draw with high-flyers Aston Villa at London Stadium.

The veteran frontman, who turns 34 later this month, gave the hosts a 29th-minute lead with a sensational diving header before the visitors hit back late on, Nicolo Zaniolo finding the all-important equaliser 11 minutes from the end.

Tomas Soucek thought he had found the winner for the hosts deep in stoppage time at the end only to have the goal chalked off by VAR for hand-ball.

Antonio, adjudged Player-of-the-Match, also had a second goal ruled out for hand-ball when officials determined his arm had been used to clip in Jarrod Bowen’s cross just after the break.

“It for good for him to get a goal – that’s what we want from Mic,” said Hammers manager David Moyes.

“We want him to get goals – [it’s] part of his game. He does a good job for the team, it’s the goals we need from him.”

West Ham had the better of the exchanges early on and Antonio capped off the enterprising period for the hosts when he ghosted around defender Ezri Ngoyo, got on to the end of Vladimir Coufal’s low cross, to send his stooping header past Emiliano Martínez.

The goal was Antonio’s third of the season in his first league start of the year, after spending three months sidelined with a knee injury sustained last November.

And he thought he had doubled the lead in the 50th minute only for VAR to dash those hopes, with the player already celebrating with teammates.

A 63rd-minute substitute, Zaniolo rescued a point for Villa when the West Ham defence failed to pick up his run into the box, and he easily slammed home fellow substitute Moussa Diaby cross.

West Ham lie seventh in the standings on 44 points, 12 points off fourth placed Villa.