‘Look at his record’ – Moyes defends West Ham penalty decision
David Moyes has defended his decision to bring on Mark Noble for the missed penalty against Manchester United.
The Hammers were beaten 2-1 on an eventful day at the London Stadium. Said Benrahma gave them a dream start in the 30th minute following some good work by Jarrod Bowen.
The former Hull man played in Benrahma, whose shot deflected off Raphael Varane and into the net. West Ham’s lead lasted just five minutes, however, as the inevitable Cristiano Ronaldo continued his exciting form.
Ronaldo was picked out by a brilliant Bruno Fernandes ball. The Portugal captain saw his volley saved by Lukasz Fabisnki but managed to tap home the rebound.
It remained level until the 89th minute. Jesse Lingard, who starred during a loan spell at West Ham last term, came off the bench to silence the home crowd.
He turned in the box, got a yard away from Kurt Zouma and fired a shot into the top corner.
There was more late drama as Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross hit the arm of Luke Shaw. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot after checking the pitch-side monitor, and Mark Noble was then substituted on.
However, the veteran midfielder could not snatch a point as his poor penalty was saved by David de Gea.
Moyes told reporters after the loss: “We got a penalty kick and I have one of the best penalty takers in the Premier League and Europe. I think if I hadn’t made the decision I’d have been more annoyed with myself.
“I asked him and he said I’m ready, he has a great record, why would we not? We’ve missed a few recently so I thought I’d take the opportunity to bring Mark on.
“I think we are all enjoying the game more because of how the referees are going about their jobs, I thought the referee did a great job today.”
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When asked about new signings Zouma and Nikola Vlasic, Moyes continued: “Kurt Zouma played very well. Considering we’re bringing them in very quicky… Kurt has more Premier League experience. Vlasic, we’ve had to put in a little bit quicker than we would have done so.
“We didn’t deserve defeat. You’d say it was a proper game.”
On Lingard’s winner, he added: “Football has a strange way of bouncing back and today he scored the goal. I hope we do the same next week.”
Moyes also paid tribute to Tottenham and England legend Jimmy Greaves, who died earlier on Sunday aged 81.
“Tremendous by both sets of supporters, he was recognised throughout football and I got to see him on Saint and Greavsie,” Moyes said. “A sad passing and he will be remembered well.”
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West Ham players ‘feel sorry’ for Noble
Hammers defender Angelo Ogbonna says Noble’s team-mates ‘feel sorry’ for the 34-year-old.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, the centre-back said: “We all feel sorry for him, this is football and you have to accept it.
“He is experienced enough to take any penalty, the next one he will score for sure.”
Noble has bagged 38 penalties during his career and has one of the highest conversion rates in Premier League history.
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