Banish Antonio to stiffs, says Crooks

BBC pundit Garth Crooks says Michail Antonio should be condemned to the reseves in the wake of Wilfried Zaha's 97th minute equaliser against West Ham on Saturday.

The outspoken critic lashed out at the West Ham winger after Antonio conceded possession in the dying seconds of Saturday's game, which led to Palace's equaliser in the SEVENTH minute of added-on time.

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"This should have been West Ham's first away victory of the season in the league," blasted former Spurs striker Crooks. "And it would have been had it not been for some shocking decision-making by players who should have known better.

"Michail Antonio carefully carried the ball almost the entire length of the pitch to the opposition's corner flag, only to completely forget everything he has been taught about ball retention in the final minutes of the game.

"He politely hand the ball back to Palace, who went up the other end to score the equaliser. What madness is that? Antonio should spend the next four weeks training with academy scholars if he's going to make schoolboy errors like that.

"Fortunately for Antonio and the Hammers, Hart's exploits salvaged a point for his team and under-pressure manager Slaven Bilic. Let's hope for Bilic's sake there is nothing more at stake."

Despite Crooks' criticism, Antonio was defended by former Hammer Danny Gabbidon who insisted that the former Forest man shouldn't be held responsible for the goal.

"Antonio receiving stick for his part in the Palace goal," he wrote via Twitter, "but once he's crossed it watch how long it takes for you to see the West Ham defence. So deep!"