David Moyes admits introducing Mark Noble as a substitute for West Ham’s penalty against Manchester United in September was a ‘terrible’ decision, via quotes by football.london.
The Red Devils won 2-1 at the London Stadium earlier this season, after David de Gea saved Noble’s spot-kick. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot after checking with VAR that Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross struck Luke Shaw’s outstretched arm.
Jesse Lingard had put Manchester United ahead after 89-minutes on his return to the Irons following last term’s loan. But Atkinson deeming Shaw to have handled the ball offered the Hammers a welcome chance to equalise deep into stoppage-time.
However, De Gea got the better of Noble, diving the right way to keep his strike out. Declan Rice was about to take the penalty before Moyes brought Noble off the bench in the 94th-minute. It was the 34-year-old’s first missed penalty since December 2016.
Moyes admits regret at Noble introduction vs Manchester United
Moyes, ahead of visiting Manchester United on Saturday, now admits he regretted bringing Noble on to take West Ham’s penalty. But he still feels the reasons for the call were right.
“I didn’t enjoy my own company for a few days after because I thought I’d made a terrible decision and I beat myself up about it. When you are a football manager, you have to make decisions and sometimes you get them right, and sometimes you get them wrong” he said.
“This one, on the day, we got wrong. But I still think my reasons for doing it were the right ones. It was saved, and if we’re being fair, the Manchester United goalkeeper has been playing out of his skin this season.
“He made a great penalty save and I don’t think prior to that he’d made too many penalty saves. So, in my own way, I was thinking: ‘oh good, we’ve got a draw out of it’. But it didn’t quite work.”
Noble has taken 45 penalties in his West Ham career, with the Manchester United one just his fifth miss ever. His prior misses came against Burnley in December 2016, Tottenham in August 2014, Chelsea in April 2009 and Hull in January 2009.
Only against Burnley and Hull did the Irons go on to win, while losing 1-0 to Spurs and the Blues. But Noble kept a clear head to convert penalties against Rapid Vienna and Watford since missing against Manchester United to help towards 2-0 and 4-1 wins for West Ham.
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