‘This is not where we are going to stop’ – Michail Antonio on West Ham’s ECL win

By Andy Sims, PA, Prague

West Ham striker Michail Antonio believes their Europa Conference League triumph is just the start of bigger things to come.

Jarrod Bowen’s last-minute goal against Fiorentina ended the Hammers’ 43-year wait for a trophy.

Their 2-1 victory also means West Ham will be back in the Europa League next season, the first time they have qualified for Europe three years running.

“It’s massive, it’s massive,” said Antonio. “Moving forward this is not where we are going to stop, we will see if we can keep carrying it on and keep pushing ourselves and keep doing better.

15 years ago I was playing non league football and now I’m here. Everyone has opinions but ultimately it’s yours that matters the most.

Believe in yourself 🙏🏾❤️ pic.twitter.com/x4niHl5K6f

— Michail Antonio (@Michailantonio) June 8, 2023

“Last year we got to the semi-finals of the Europa League. This year, we won the Conference League. You can see we have a good pack of boys here, we have got good confidence and hopefully we can build on that.”

Said Benrahma put West Ham ahead from the penalty spot before Giacomo Bonaventura equalised for the Italian side.

But Lucas Paqueta’s ball over the top sent Bowen through on goal to fire the Hammers to European glory.

Our gaffer as you've never seen him before! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/e1JzNuioA4

— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 8, 2023

Full-back Emerson Palmieri revealed manager David Moyes gave a victory speech and, as promised, joined his players in some dancing.

“The gaffer said, ‘thank you for everything, thank you for the title’. Of course he is happy, we are happy. So everyone is happy,” he said.

“If you take the images, when you receive the medal, you need to walk on the podium, he did the dance. It was good – for a Scotsman!”