THE NOTEBOOK: Michail Antonio shows why staying at West Ham wouldn’t be a bad thing, Flynn Downes deals well for Declan Rice… and Moyes must criticize Jarrod Bowen MORE!
West Ham booked an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford after a comfortable 2-0 win over Derby on Monday night.
Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio scored the goals as David Moyes’ side – struggling in the Premier League – put their woes behind them with a confident victory over Paul Warne’s League One outfit.
here, SportsmailKIERAN GILL picks out some of the things you might have missed from Pride Park on Monday…
West Ham moved into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Derby on Monday night
When Michail Antonio came out for the start of this match, his shorts were rolled up tight, unlike John Barnes back in the day. A ploy to intimidate the opposition with his muscular thighs, perhaps.
But it is his socks that West Ham manager David Moyes wants his 32-year-old striker to quit after his recent revelation. Antonio used his podcast to say he was in talks with rival clubs ahead of January deadline day.
That’s news to Moyes, who would rather focus on working hard for his current bosses. But if anyone has earned West Ham’s forgiveness for some misguided comments, it’s Antonio, who has been a club servant since 2015.
He started here and there was no sulking – just the right performance as he was involved in the build-up to Jarrod Bowen’s opener before heading home West Ham’s second goal. Antonio is not going anywhere in this window.
Not while fellow strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Danny Ings are injured. His team needs him. It’s not all bad to stay, Antonio – you’re two and a half years away from a testimonial!
Striker Michail Antonio (right), who scored, showed why staying was not a bad idea
At 7:20pm, it was confirmed: the winner of this match will face Manchester United at Old Trafford. As if the Pride Park faithful needed more incentive to knock the old place down.
‘You’ve heard the draw, ‘ent ya?’ a steward can be heard telling incoming supporters, making sure they know what awaits if they can help Derby win. Sadly for the League One side, they never really tested West Ham.
Moyes has been brutally honest about Bowen, claiming his numbers have been unacceptable this season. Where Bowen responded with two Premier League goals against Everton and an FA Cup opener here at Derby.
Moyes kept pulling a pen and paper from his jacket pocket. Watching Bowen continue his rise in form, he must have been writing: ‘Praise Jarrod more.’
David Moyes should have been more critical of Jarrod Bowen after his harsh words led to a goal
Northerners sing about how soft southerners are. And the southerners told the northerners that they wanted to go home.
Everyone was in good spirits and West Ham embraced their cockney roots here with a Mary Poppins-themed song: ‘Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-yeah, we’re the b****** in claret and blue! ‘
One change to Derby’s starting line-up, six for West Ham, including the rested Declan Rice. Dangerous from the Premier League team, as their opponents are unbeaten in their last 19 games in all competitions (if you don’t count the Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat by Liverpool after drawing 0-0).
Flynn Downes came in for his first start since November in Rice’s place. Great talent, Downes, and he looks comfortable in central midfield. More minutes should follow for the 24-year-old.
Don’t be surprised if West Ham sign a center back at the end of the January transfer window
A trip to face a League One team in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January? West Ham have been here for a while. It brought back memories of losing 4-2 at Wimbledon in 2019.
I remember that defeat because Manuel Pellegrini joined me in the Kingsmeadow tunnel afterwards for asking him about Marko Arnautovic, the club who strangely announced his new contract at full time.
Pellegrini ended up, no doubt muttering some unprintable words about that reporter with the dodgy haircut.
Thankfully no one walked away from David Moyes last night, even though he knew the deadline day questions would be a topic afterwards, win or lose.
Don’t be surprised if West Ham sign a central defender on Tuesday. That’s an area Moyes wants to strengthen.
