West Ham United club captain Mark Noble filled in for the injured Declan Rice against Wolves last night.
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The 33-year-old’s inclusion in the starting XI was met by trepidation from large sections of the Hammers fanbase.
Noble has looked well off the pace over the past 12 months. And it is no coincidence that he has spent most of his time warming the bench this season.
David Moyes is clearly still a very big fan of Nobes, however. The Scot trusts his skipper.
And the Canning-Town born midfielder didn’t let West Ham down last night.
In fact, he had one of his best games in quite some time.
Mark Noble stats were really impressive
The Hammers ace notched some superb numbers against Wolves at Molineux last night.
Noble made nine ball recoveries, six final third passes, four interceptions and two tackles. He also recorded an 89% pass completion rate and an astonishing 100% long pass completion rate! (FB Ref).
West Ham will obviously miss Declan Rice. Mark Noble has a huge job to do during the 22-year-old’s absence.
If he plays like he did against Wolves last night, however, the Hammers should be just fine whilst Rice is on the sidelines.
Noble has received so much criticism from some West Ham fans this season. So last night’s performance was a hugely important once for him and an extremely timely one for David Moyes, the players and the fans.