Mark Noble captained West Ham to a fine 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. The Hammers skipper led from the front as West Ham fended off the challenge from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.
On reflection, it was a fairly straightforward afternoon for West Ham. Aside from Harry Maguire’s close-range effort and a couple of other chances, Man United did little to threaten the West Ham goal.
West Ham did not even need to get out of second gear as we cruised to a 2-0 win. Andriy Yarmolenko’s low strike gave West Ham the lead and Aaron Cresswell’s stunning free-kick sealed the points.
But it was Noble who won the man of the match award. The 32-year-old did everything right defensively and in possession. He embodied passion and desire and showed his importance to the team yet again.
Garth Crooks on Mark Noble
BBC pundit Garth Crooks selected Noble in his team of the week. Peculiarly, Noble was on the left-wing while attacking midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were selected in the middle. But that’s just nit-picking: Noble fully merited his spot in the team of the week.
Crooks raved about Noble’s influence on the West Ham team and how he led his side to victory against Solskjaer. On the BBC website, he said:
“Mark Noble spearheaded a famous victory against a Manchester United side who looked in disarray and lead [sic] by a manager who is starting to look out of his depth. Whatever sentiment you may have for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United is not a club for novices.”
This feature on the BBC website included a fascinating stat about Noble that illustrates how crucial he is. When the Hammers homegrown hero plays under Manuel Pellegrini, West Ham win 47 per cent of their games. When he hasn’t played, there have been just two wins in 11 (18 per cent).
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