"One of our players got slapped in the face" - West Ham's Michail Antonio says he was 'shocked' by Tottenham star's actions
West Ham star Michail Antonio has explained he is surprised that Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon was left unpunished after slapping Aaron Cresswell last weekend.
Spurs registered a 3-1 victory over David Moyes' side in the Premier League last Sunday. An own-goal from Kurt Zouma and a brace from Son Heung-min sealed the game for Tottenham, while Said Benrahma scored a consolation goal for the Irons.
Looking back at the match, Antonio has insisted that the referee failed to make a crucial decision in West Ham's favor. The Englishman recalled an incident where Son dramatically hit the deck after being hit with the ball by Zouma.
Antonio explained that Cresswell stepped in to defend Zouma after Reguilon got involved. The forward went on to claim that the Spurs star slapped his team-mate during the scuffle. Speaking on The Footballer's Football Podcast [via HITC], he revealed that he was 'shocked' that Reguilon went unpunished:
"Kurt [Zouma] was kicking the ball out for them to take a corner and he’s hit Son in the calf with the ball. Reguilon has run over to Kurt angry. Cress [Cresswell] has stepped in front of him to push him away and he’s slapped Cress in the face."
"So, I have gone ‘there has to be a decision made here’. I have said to the ref ‘somebody has been slapped in the face. Please can you check it’. He’s gone ‘don’t worry, I’ll deal with it blah, blah’. Then the fan has run on."
"There were four or five things for him to think about, so his mind was dealing with a lot of stuff. Then, he goes ‘everything has been checked’. I was like ‘there is no way it has been checked’. Cress had a red mark across his face. I was shocked."
Handbags in the London Derby 🛍
Son fell to the floor after Zouma kicked the ball at him. https://t.co/UnppwloAi7
Performance-wise, West Ham appeared to be second-best against Tottenham on Sunday. Antonio Conte's side had four shots on target on the evening, while the Hammers managed just one.
Tottenham and West Ham pushing for top four finish
Both Spurs and Irons are pushing to secure Champions League football this season. With just around nine matches remaining in the Premier League, they are hopeful of finishing in the top four.
"We are improving a LOT as a team" 💪
Antonio Conte is feeling good about Tottenham's chances of a Premier League top four finish 📊
https://t.co/hGkScSrgQC
Tottenham currently sit fifth in the table, with 51 points from 29 matches. They are currently three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who also have a game in hand.
West Ham are placed seventh in the standings with 48 points from 30 games. They sit six points behind Arsenal and have also played two more games than the Gunners.