West Ham booked their place in the Conference League final on Thursday with a 1-0 win against AZ Alkmaar in The Netherlands – but Michail Antonio was seen limping heavily off the pitch late on, before Leeds on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers came into the game after securing a 2-1 win at the London Stadium in the first leg, despite going a goal behind. Antonio got one of those goals, taking his tally to 14 for the season – while also laying on five assists.
Antonio started on Thursday night, having been completely missing from the matchday squad that suffered a 2-0 loss to Brentford last weekend. West Ham went on to win 1-0 on Thursday in the second leg, Pablo Fornals scoring.
But Antonio was withdrawn on 84 minutes with the score still reading 0-0, limping heavily as he walked slowly off the pitch. He was replaced by Danny Ings, and the England international is the one who could come in for Antonio.
Antonio limping heavily for West Ham on Thursday night ahead of Leeds
With Leeds coming to town on Sunday, David Moyes will know that the remaining two Premier League games do not mean a whole lot to the Hammers. Leeds, it’s everything. A West Ham side without Antonio, is a worse West Ham.
Moyes will desperately want Antonio fit for June 7, when the Hammers face tonight’s other semi-final winners in Serie A side Fiorentina – who beat Basel after extra-time. Playing him less than 72 hours after tonight is a big risk.
Indeed, West Ham will surely rest their key players – even if they did not have an injury. A chance to hand some fringe players like Ings a run out. Antonio is a massive player for West Ham, but he could be likely to miss Leeds.
