Slaven Bilic says Michail Antonio’s late mistake which cost West Ham two precious points against Crystal Palace should not happen at Premier League level.
In the final moments of six additional minutes at Selhurst Park, and with Hammers closing in on three vital points, Antonio opted to cross into the Palace area rather than dribble towards the corner flag to see the game out.
Antonio, who had come off the bench to fill in at right wing-back, spotted Manuel Lanzini on the far side of the box but Palace regained possession with ease and immediately started an attack which Wilfried Zaha finished in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
Bilic was blunt in his assessment, praising his players' efforts after a stunning comeback against Tottenham just three days ago before expressing his disappointment at the manner of the equaliser.
“The players gave everything again,” he said. “They ran, they defended, as I said some of them played 90 minutes three days ago.
“That goal has nothing to do with their attitude in terms of being too sloppy or too casual or not in position. That was just a bad decision that shouldn’t happen at this level of football, definitely.”
The late goal means Bilic now faces the task of once again lifting his players’ spirits before they welcome Liverpool to London Stadium next weekend.
