“I stood there like, ‘oh sh*t’” - Michail Antonio says 32-year-old who ‘destroyed’ him in Premier League was tougher opponent than Hazard

West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has named former Premier League winger Mo Barrow as his toughest opponent ahead of Eden Hazard. The Gambian forward played in the top tier of English football with Swansea City for three season, registering one goal from 51 appearances.

It was in his third campaign with the Welsh club that the 32-year-old came up against Antonio. The Jamaican had just joined West Ham United from Nottingham Forest and was playing in the Premier League for the first time.

Speaking on the Beast Mode On podcast, as cited by GOAL, Antonio said that Barrow destroyed him.

"I've marked [Anthony] Martial, Hazard, Rashford. All these people. The one who ripped me the most. He destroyed me. Mo Barrow. They won 3-0, all from him, through my legs, assist. I stood there like, 'oh sh*t'," said Antonio.

Interestingly, Antonio maybe misremembering his tryst with Mo Barrow, as the two met only on two occasions in their career. While the Jamaican speaks of a 3-0 defeat, it is quite likely that he is refering to the Hammers' 4-1 defeat to Swansea City in 2016.

Barrow picked up an assist in the game, and also registered five crosses. Interestingly, Antonio operated at right-back for West Ham United, registering five shots, nine crosses and two tackles.

The 35-year-old is currently recovering from a horrific crash in December 2024. Barrow, meanwhile, plays for K League 2 side Incheon United.

Who was the Premier League topscorer last season?

Mohamed Salah won the Premier League golden boot last season, after finished the season as the league's top goalscorer. The Egyptian's efforts were crucial to Liverpool's title triumph.

Salah registered 29 goals from 38 games in the league, finishing ahead of Newcastle United's Alexander Isak, who managed 23 goals from 34 games. Interestingly, the Swedish striker reamins heavily linked with a move to Anfield this summer, but the Magpies have no desire to let him go.

Third on last season's Premier League topscorer's list is Bryan Mbeumo, who is reportedly on his way to Manchester United. The Cameroonian registered 20 goals from 38 games in the league last campaign for Brentford.

Acclaimed journalist David Ornstein has stated that the Red Devils have submitted a £65m offer for the 25-year-old, plus £6m in add-ons, which has been accepted. Meanwhile, Manchester City's Erling Haaland (22) and Brentford's Yoane Wissa (19) complete the top five Premier League goalscorers list from the 2024-25 season.

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Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit