Michail Antonio became West Ham United's all-time Premier League top scorer after netting twice to help secure a 4-1 home win on Monday over Leicester City, who had Ayoze Perez sent off late in the first half.
Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma opened the scoring for the Hammers, who made it two wins out of two and went top of the table on goals scored after a superb performance in a cracking atmosphere at the London Stadium.
Having gone into the match tied on 47 league goals with West Ham's former stalwart Paolo Di Canio, Antonio was delighted to have passed the Italian.
He celebrated by lifting a cardboard cut-out of himself at the side of the pitch.
"You have to try and be professional but I was trying to make history so it's always in the back of your mind," Antonio, 31, told Sky Sports.
"I've not been celebrating lately because of VAR, so I thought I had to make it special. The celebration was Save the Last Dance ... the lift from the end.
"That would have been proper embarrassing if it was ruled out by VAR. You always see me smiling so you'd probably see me laughing as well.
"The fans are still here singing 20 minutes later. The atmosphere is amazing. There's nothing better than scoring and hearing the roar of the fans."
Fornals fired the hosts ahead in the 26th minute as he started and finished a flowing move by steering Benrahma's low cross into the net.
Perez was shown the red card in the 40th minute for stamping on the Spaniard as they tussled for the ball.
West Ham continued to dominate and Benrahma doubled their advantage in the 56th with a simple finish past a defender on the line after Antonio intercepted a Caglar Soyuncu back pass and squared the ball to the Algerian forward.
Youri Tielemans pulled a goal back for Leicester in the 69th minute when he pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area and poked it past goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski from eight metres.
But Antonio made it 3-1 in the 80th when he took a Declan Rice cross in his stride and buried a low shot after turning Soyuncu, before putting the icing on the cake four minutes later.
West Ham manager David Moyes said he was unhappy with Antonio's first-half performance but heaped praise on the striker for his contribution after the break.
"I was disappointed with the way he played in the first half but he did enough to shut the manager up after what I said to him at half-time," Moyes told the BBC.
"The first thing is to make sure we keep playing like this. I've challenged the players to find that extra two points that could have been enough to get us in the Champions League [last season].
"I could be asking far too much but what else am I going to do? Stand here and say we want to avoid relegation?"
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
