Michail Antonio has expressed his respect for Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez ahead of West Ham United's visit to Anfield on Wednesday evening.
Having endured a horror display against Napoli in the Champions League last month, the Reds defender made amends against Manchester City with an imperious performance that helped Jurgen Klopp's team secure a huge 1-0 victory against their modern title rivals.
The domestic cup holders will be looking to back that result up tonight with a win against David Moyes' Hammers and forward Antonio will need to be at his very best to get any change out of Virgil van Dijk and Gomez, who has quickly put his name back into contention for England's World Cup squad.
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Speaking on The Footballer’s Football Podcast, Antonio said: “Gomez was unbelievable. He was a joke. You can’t just put it out there and say VVD, you have to give Gomez a shout as well. They had him. There were so many times where balls were put in the box, but they were just there constantly with him.
“There was a couple of times you thought he was going to get a tap in, but they were just there constantly. Those two played so well. They shut him out.”
A win for Liverpool this evening could shift them up to fifth in the table, ahead of Manchester United on goal difference. But if Antonio and the Hammers can secure an away win, the Easton London club, who have recovered from a poor start, can leapfrog the Reds.
Antonio has two Premier League goals to his name in 10 appearances this season.
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