Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson revel as No 9s to define Newcastle and West Ham’s six-goal thriller
The strikers were both crucial to their teams last season, as reflected by their new shirt numbers, and they appear to be so yet again this campaign
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Your support makes all the difference.A new season, and another campaign in which both Newcastle and West Ham United appear reliant on the goals and fitness of their ‘new’ No 9s. The six-goal thriller at St James Park, against the odds, became the match of a high-scoring opening Premier League weekend and it was also a story of Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson, who were both handed those respective jerseys ahead of the new campaign.
Both players saw instant returns, as Wilson opened the scoring in the fifth minute and Antonio capped a fine West Ham comeback as he struck the Hammers’ fourth midway through the second half. It was not surprising to see either striker on the scoresheet, given their near-identical records for their respective teams last term. Both players hit double figures while also missing around a third of the Premier League season.
Antonio was unavailable for 13 games with various knocks and strains and a hamstring injury that resurfaced towards the end of the season, and West Ham’s results dipped as a result. Wilson missed 12 games with a combination of hamstring and thigh injuries, which also preceded Newcastle’s slide towards the relegation zone.
Antonio, who is now into his seventh season at West Ham, hit double figures for the second year running and his goal took him level with Paulo Di Canio as the Hammers’ top scorer in the Premier League. He now wears the shirt that reflects that status.
The 31-year-old arrived at West Ham as a right-sided midfielder but has grown into the striker that the club have sought so expensively in the transfer market in recent times. David Moyes’ side have not bought a replacement, or indeed any outfield reinforcements, this summer, which places a heavy burden on Antonio’s often unreliable hamstrings.
Antonio is well supported, however, by a forward unit that performed so well last season. At St James’ Park, Said Benrahma scored an important goal in his bid to replicate what Jesse Lingard brought to the team last campaign, while Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals were also bright.
But there was no doubt that Antonio was and remains the focal point. As well as rounding off West Ham’s win with a superb run and finish, he also supplied the cross for Benrahma’s goal and hit the post with a header shortly before the Hammers won their penalty - with Antonio denied by Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman before Tomas Soucek saved his blushes to convert the rebound.
It was a remarkable turnaround from 2-1 down at half time, on a day that seemed set for the coronation of another No 9.
Wilson, in many ways, was already Newcastle’s No 9, even if he only took the shirt this summer after swapping with Joelinton. His 12 Premier League goals in his first year at the club last campaign helped steer Steve Bruce’s side away from a relegation battle. It had been some time since the club last had a goalscorer who could put chances away with such authority.
The question of whether Newcastle's iconic shirt would prove too heavy for the 29-year-old has not been asked in the same way that it has for players such as Joelinton, Salomon Rondon or Dwight Gayle in recent years. That was why it was no surprise to see Wilson be in the right place at the right time to head home Newcastle’s opener from the six yard box - it was a No 9’s goal in every sense of the word.
In Wilson, Newcastle have found a striker who can thrive even when service is in short supply. Last season, he comfortably made it to 12 Premier League goals despite only managing 16 shots on target, and that was after missing a dozen games through injury. He often cuts a peripheral figure for a side who rarely have the greater share of possession under Bruce.
But in Allan Saint-Maximin, Wilson has the perfect foil - and Newcastle have an exciting combination of 9 and 10. For all of the understandable concerns of the Newcastle fans ahead of the new season given some of their performances under Bruce over the last couple of seasons, they all seem to dissipate when the Frenchman gets on the ball.
There were drag-backs, chops, spins, step overs, all accompanied by the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ of the St James’ Park crowd. Saint-Maximin turned England international Declan Rice inside and out, and then back again, in setting up Wilson’s goal, and was constantly involved. That eventually came to the detriment of his side, however, as he gave the ball away in the move that led to Benrahma’s equaliser.
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