Michail Antonio’s joy at being back on the field was checked on Saturday by the Hammers’ 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Antonio made his comeback from a three-month absence with a hamstring injury as a half-time substitute in the derby defeat.
The No30’s performance was one of the bright spots for the home side, however, as he gave a typical show of determination, power and goal threat.
His 74th minute finish reduced the arrears to 3-1, and although Angelo Ogbonna added another goal late on, Tottenham had done enough to secure the points.
“Obviously it’s not the result we wanted, but it was amazing to be back on the pitch,” Antonio said. “After being out for eleven-and-a-half weeks I was raring to go.
“I’ve been working hard and the operation went as smoothly as it could. It meant I could be outside running quite early, so I feel good and hopefully I can keep performing the way I performed today.”
Antonio’s goal was one that perfectly showcased his abilities too, as he received the ball from Mark Noble on the edge of the box, turned neatly and slammed home.
He added: “All I remember is Nobes gave me the ball, I faked to go my left, it came across me and I just slid and put it into the bottom corner.
“For me, it’s a bit of a blur until I see it back, but it was good to get on the field and good to get a goal. It’s a shame about the result but there were positives to take from the second half.
"I'm a person who does like to get a few goals so [it was good] to get one on my first game back and hopefully start a run.
“I’m gutted [at the result] but all we can do is take all the positives from this game, move onto the next one and progress.”