Arsenal and Manchester United fans have seen it before but has West Ham United star Michail Antonio ended Chelsea legend John Terry’s top flight career?
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic shakes hands with Michail Antonio after he was substituted
The Hammers deservedly beat the Blues 2-1 in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night in what was the first London derby at the Olympic Stadium.
Cheikhou Kouyate’s brilliant header and young Edimilson Fernandes’ maiden strike put Slaven Bilic’s side in control and Antonio Conte’s men scored what was a consolation deep in stoppage time.
It sets up a mouthwatering trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the next round but the main talking point was Michail Antonio’s performance up against John Terry.
West Ham United’s Michail Antonio breezes past Terry in the 2-1 EFL Cup win
The pacy forward was deployed as a lone striker against the Blues and dominated former Hammers youth product Terry throughout.
West Ham fans love to hate Terry, who left the club his family supports to move to West London as a 14-year-old.
And in an ironic twist Antonio looks to have effectively all but ended Terry’s top flight career at the club where it all began.
Remember Sol Campbell back in 2006, Arsenal’s last ever defeat at Highbury against, you guessed it West Ham, in that epic 3-2 thriller?
Sol Campbell in Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat to West Ham – their last ever at Highbury – in 2006
A 31-year-old Campbell – also a self-confessed Hammer as a boy – was given a torrid time by Alan Pardew’s side that February day as he made a hash of an attempted clearance to allow Nigel Reo-Coker to put the visitors ahead.
Bobby Zamora then held off a challenge from Campbell to put West Ham 2-0 ahead and Campbell asked to be substituted at half-time promptly leaving the ground.
Campbell walked out at half-time spelling the beginning of the end of his top flight career
Arsene Wenger later admitted that game and incident persuaded him to Campbell’s time at the club was over, as reported at the time by the Guardian.
More recently there was Manchester United hero and captain Gary Neville’s sorry demise against West Bromwich Albion.
Manchester United’s Gary Neville knew his career was over after that game against West Brom
It became known as the game that retired Neville as he admitted in the Daily Mail he knew his career was over after a torrid display at the Hawthorns.
And we may well have witnessed a similar scenario for Terry at the London Stadium on Wednesday night.
Terry was taken apart by England man Antonio who ran the Chelsea hero into the ground for 90 minutes.
A dejected Terry after the match
Terry, whose position at Chelsea was already under threat, looked a shadow of his former self being turned, outpaced, outmuscled, outfought and out-thought by the former Tooting and Mitcham man.
While Terry’s career will undoubtedly continue – most likely in the MLS – the game has all but ended his top flight career.
It was a sorry sight for Blues fans but one which gave Hammers supporters as much pleasure as the win over their fierce rivals.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
