West Ham United won with their skipper in the starting XI on Saturday but did he contribute much?
West Ham United’s performance against Manchester City earlier this month suggested that, whatever David Moyes was doing on the training pitch, it was starting to pay off.
That performance was without Mark Noble, who was not in the match day squad against the runaway league leaders. However Fernandes did a fine job in his skipper’s absence and it was a bold decision from Moyes to overlook the young Swiss for the very next clash.
As it was, things turned out brilliantly for West Ham, who won 1-0 against Chelsea and ensured their new boss got his first win since arriving at the London Stadium.
However it could be argued that West Ham won in spite of Noble rather than because of him, with the 30-year-old doing little to impress, which was in stark contrast to Fernandes’s all-action performance a few days earlier.
Some West Ham fans could rightly point at the victory and say it is all that matters, yet Noble’s influence has been waning for months and Fernandes is clearly ready to step in.
Had the Hammers lost to Chelsea, the knives would have been out in force for the experienced midfielder; as it is he may have received a stay of execution. But how long that lasts may be down to how long West Ham can carry their under-performing captain.
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