As good a reason as any
Michail Antonio cemented his place in the history books – and thousands of pub quiz answers – on Saturday afternoon after he scored the first ever goal against Tottenham Hotspur at their new stadium.
The goal was flawless from start to finish. As Marko Arnautović picked up the ball out wide on the right, he delivered a delicately weighted pass over Toby Alderweireld into the path of Antonio, who took it down on his chest and walloped the ball past Hugo Lloris to give West Ham the lead.
But notable than the quality of the goal was the celebration. Antonio has become known for his weird and wonderful ways of celebrating goals over the past couple of years. From stroking the claret turf at the side of the London Stadium’s pitch, to pulling out dance moves your uncle might pull out at your sister’s wedding, Antonio is not shy of expressing himself during moments of elation.
This time, his celebration of choice can only be described as ‘miming riding a horse’.
Hammers are the first away team to win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Watch #THFC v #WHUFC reaction now on Sky Sports PL or follow here: https://t.co/5p2aBChyEB pic.twitter.com/8gUlwBFcup
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 27, 2019
In his post-match interview, Antonio explained the reasoning behind it, citing Instagram sensation Dan Rue as his inspiration.
“There’s a guy I follow on Instagram and he does loads of crazy dance moves,” he explained.
“I saw it the other day and thought ‘you know what? I’ve been busting it out in a couple of clubs and thought I’ve got to do it on the pitch.”
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