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West Ham fans confused by Moyes substituting Said Benrahma for Mark Noble

Photo by ADAM DAVY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by ADAM DAVY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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West Ham United drew 0-0 with Fulham on Saturday evening in what proved to be a frustrating night.

The Hammers were in great spirits having beaten Aston Villa 3-1 away from home in midweek, and were looking for the same in West London.

That didn’t happen though as Vladimir Coufal rattled the crossbar with a fine header, before Czech compatriot Tomas Soucek picked up a red card late on.

David Moyes will take the point and move on, but fans seem to think he did make one strange decision in the second half.

Moyes decided to bring off Jarrod Bowen for Andriy Yarmolenko, and also Said Benrahma for Mark Noble in a curious double change.

Benrahma hadn’t exactly been a menace to the Fulham back line, but removing him for Noble did seem to sap flair from the West Ham side.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 06: Ruben Loftus-Cheek of Fulham battles for possession with Said Benrahma of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Fulham and West Ham United at Craven Cottage on February 06, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Adam Davy - Pool/Getty Images)
Photo by Adam Davy – Pool/Getty Images

Fans have been taking to Twitter to suggest that the decision was ‘madness’ and ‘made no sense at all’.

Maybe Moyes was just giving Benrahma something of a rest, but fans really didn’t understand what Moyes was trying to do with this substitution.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 06: Ruben Loftus-Cheek of Fulham and Mark Noble of West Ham in action during the Premier League match between Fulham and West Ham United at Craven Cottage on February 06, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images