It is not very often West Ham star Michail Antonio gets bullied when coming up against his opponents. Proving to be a real handful for Premier League defenders over the years due to his incredible power and strength, the frontman had a rather quiet afternoon in N17.
Antonio was only on the pitch for 56 minutes and in that time he got very little change out of Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero. Enjoying quite the battle in the reverse game at the London Stadium back in October as the Hammers man came out on top, there was simply no way the Argentine was going to let the same happen to him second time around.
Showing in his short time in the Premier League that he has some future ahead of him with some superb displays, Romero demonstrated to those watching on why he is rated so highly in the game. He was simply outstanding during his time on the pitch and limited West Ham's frontman to next to nothing.
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A few Spurs supporters may have had some worries about the player heading into the showdown as another two bookings collected before the cut off after the Brighton home match would result in a two-match suspension, yet the 23-year-old went without a yellow after a spate of cautions in recent weeks. It was an incredibly assured performance from the summer signing but it still included all the aggression and determination that comes with his game.
Antonio just didn't have time to operate when the ball was at his feet as Romero was on him quick as a flash to ensure he didn't get any joy in the final third. The Spurs man came out on top time and time again and it was no surprise to see supporters waxing lyrical about his composed performance.
West Ham manager David Moyes was asked in his post-match press conference about Antonio's showing and whether it was down to tiredness after limping off last weekend against Aston Villa. The ex-Everton boss delivered a very honest answer and claimed that he "did not think he reached his level" in his time on the pitch, thus highlighting Romero's brilliant work to ensure the Jamaican international didn't flourish.
Romero's numbers from the game were eye-catching to say the least both defensively and offensively. As per Squawka, the player won possession seven times, won four duels, made three tackles, three interceptions and three clearances. Having 88 touches and recording a passing accuracy of 92%, he also created one chance and played three accurate long balls.
His defensive work in the game may have been the highlight of his outing but he also showed how composed he can be on the ball in tricky situations. Managing to win the ball in the far corner of the pitch midway through the second half, Romero found himself back in trouble but played his way to safety rather than going long to clear the ball.
Tottenham have a very special player on their hands in Romero and he has all the attributes to become one of the best players in the world in his position. Conte knows how good Fabio Paratici's signing can become and made that perfectly clear after Wednesday's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
"Cristian Romero is a good player, and he has to be focused in every moment of the game," said Conte after Tottenham's midweek win at the Amex. "If he is focused in every moment of the game, with the ball, without the ball, he is really good player with a lot of space for improvement. He played a really good game, like the other team-mates.
"For sure we are talking about a player, a young player, with a lot of space for improvement. He has to have the desire, the will, to continue to improve, and to ask himself much more. Because he has the possibility to become a top defender, but it depends on him. And on the manager to help him, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. But the most important thing is he has to improve."
Showing what he is all about on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium up against Antonio and the Hammers, Tottenham are going to have some defender on their hands if Romero is to improve and take his game up another level or two. Bullying Antonio at times in the 3-1 victory, not many attackers will fancy going toe-to-toe with the Argentina international between now and the end of the season.
