David Moyes was impressed by the performance of fit-again Michail Antonio as he fired West Ham to a 1-0 victory over Burnley.
Antonio, back in the team after a couple of months out with hamstring problems, grabbed his fourth goal of the season as West Ham sank the Clarets.
Hammers boss Moyes said: “Michy was very good for someone just coming back from injury.
“He’s shown a great level of robustness in the last six months and hopefully we can get him back up to that. If he can regain the form of those previous months that would be a big thing.”
Moyes is expected to splash out on a striker this month following the £20million sale of record signing Sebastien Haller to Ajax.
But he added: “We’ve already made enquiries for players at clubs, it’s not as if we’re not trying, but I need players who can make a difference. If not I’ll use the young players or find someone else in the squad.”
Antonio found the net in the ninth minute with West Ham’s first attack of the match after Said Benrahma’s ball sent Jarrod Bowen through.
Bowen reached the byline before playing the ball back to Pablo Fornals, who crossed into the area.
The ball grazed the head of Clarets defender Ben Mee, forcing James Tarkowski to miss his header and leave Antonio with a tap-in at the far post.
The 30-year-old embarked on one of his trademark bizarre celebrations, performing the backstroke by the corner flag after being challenged to by team-mate Declan Rice.
And it was Burnley, who later announced that chairman Alan Pace had tested positive for coronavirus, that were swimming against the tide for the rest of the afternoon.
“It’s a tough one to call,” said manager Sean Dyche. “We conceded a softer goal than usual for us but I’m not going to criticise my centre-halves, I thought they were excellent today.
“They didn’t really have too many other chances, until near the end. It’s just about finding the detail in the final third.
“It’s rare in the Premier League to go away from home and have as much possession as we did.
“There were a lot of good things but we’ve come away with nothing. West Ham defended very well today so credit to them for seeing the game through for a clean sheet.
“There’s a lot of things right about the team at the moment but we’ve got to find the margins. We’re close but we’ve got to make sure we do it rather than waiting for it to happen.
“After eight games we had two points. So we’ve been effective. But we need to get more effective.”
Burnley released a statement after the game confirming that Pace, who became chairman following a US-based takeover last month, would miss the Clarets’ upcoming games.
The statement read: “Burnley Football Club confirms that chairman Alan Pace has tested positive for coronavirus and will remain absent from club fixtures and operations until receiving medical approval to return.
“Pace has been self-isolating in line with Government guidance following a positive Covid-19 test within his household. He is currently resting at home with coronavirus symptoms.”
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