West Ham 2-1 West Brom: Michail Antonio scores second winning goal in four days to move Hammers seventh

Report and free highlights as Michail Antonio becomes the outright top Premier League scorer at the London Stadium with 66th-minute winner to lift West Ham above Chelsea into seventh; Matheus Pereira’s fourth goal in three games not enough for 19th-placed West Bromwich Albion

Ron Walker

Michail Antonio scored his second winner in four days as his stunner lifted West Ham up to seventh with a 2-1 victory over West Brom.

The lowly Baggies picked up their first win under Sam Allardyce at the weekend and again impressed at the London Stadium, but in the final seconds of a steadfast first half found themselves behind when Jarrod Bowen chested in Vladimir Coufal’s cross.

West Ham’s return to form has been somewhat longer-term but their 100 per cent start to 2021 looked in jeopardy when Matheus Pereira was allowed to travel to the edge of the box before firing past Lukasz Fabianski five minutes after the restart.

The visitors’ hopes of moving within two points of escaping the relegation zone was shortlived, though, with Antonio firing in a superb winner on the turn from Andriy Yarmolenko’s header, to lift the Hammers above Chelsea – who visit Leicester later on Tuesday – and into seventh.

Antonio provides another Hammer blow

Some early fouls and high-intensity pressing from Sam Allardyce’s visitors suggested they had not come to simply sit back and soak up pressure at the London Stadium, and instead Pereira should have tested Fabianski from the first real chance of the game, but turned Callum Robinson’s lay-off well over.

The Hammers found life difficult in the final third with West Brom still managing to pack the box when they did find a dangerous position, but should have seen Craig Dawson score his first league goal for the club when he fired wide when unmarked at a corner.

As the half wore in it slowly developed into a case of attack against defence with the Baggies holding firm – but from the last of 10 open-play crosses from the hosts, they finally found a breakthrough, when Coufal returned Aaron Cresswell’s ball across the six-yard box, where Bowen nonchalantly chested in with seconds of the opening period remaining.

The Baggies re-emerged a more attacking outfit again for the second period with Pereira, who had been unusually quiet before the break, showing his quality to score his fourth goal in three games.

With Conor Gallagher ahead of him keeping the West Ham defence in two minds, he strode to the edge of the home box before aiming a powerful effort low inside the far post to beat Fabianski.

For a few minutes, the Hammers struggled to regain their composure with West Brom feeling the confidence of their leveller, but without another chance to really test Fabianski their moment soon came and went.

First Manuel Lanzini’s effort, cleared off the line by Dara O’Shea, re-asserted the hosts’ dominance, before Declan Rice’s effort squirmed across the goal-line and away to safety – but a real moment of quality from Antonio, for the second time in as many games, would again prove the winner.

David Moyes had said in the build-up the best was yet to come from his forward, and the 30-year-old showed exactly what the manager meant as he turned on a sixpence to turn Yarmolenko’s header, directed behind him, goalwards and into the bottom corner.

In the final minute, substitute Darnell Furlong was given a chance he had to score, with points at such a premium for the relegation-threatened visitors, but he steered his effort wide of the near post – and allowed West Ham to move seventh, after a fourth straight win they were made to work hard to achieve.