West Ham United captain Mark Noble believes the entire team deserves credit for Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United.
The skipper played the assist for Marko Arnautovic’s goal in the win at London Stadium, and was awarded the Man of the Match award for a terrific, relentless performance in midfield.
The 31-year-old was thrilled with his side’s showing against the Red Devils and feels the entire team that played should get the plaudits for the result.
“It’s a great feeling,” Noble said. It’s not only the result but also the way we played against a set of world-class players. It’s a credit to the team.
“Our confidence is high. We really wanted to win. Manchester United are fantastic, and a bit of magic from their team can change the game. The way we defended was fantastic. Zabaleta was fantastic. The two centre-halves and Arthur were brilliant. Our all-round team performance was brilliant.”
It’s not only the result but also the way we played against a set of world-class players. It’s a credit to the team.
Mark Noble
Felipe Anderson scored the opening goal for the Hammers with a cleverly flicked finish, while Andriy Yarmolenko’s strike found the net via a deflection off of Victor Lindelof.
Marcus Rashford looked to have brought Manchester United back into the game, before Arnautovic’s finish secured the win.
Speaking on the West Ham No7, Noble said: “Marko has been injured so he’s only had a couple of full days training. He is a fantastic football player and a player we need.
“For him to play like that, with a couple of days training, is incredible. When you put him through like that at 2-1, you know he’s going to finish it. He’s such a good footballer.
“To have those three up front is dangerous. We saw Robert Snodgrass come on as well, and the way he works, he has so much quality. It’s a good time for the club.”
The West Ham skipper also reserved high praise for Lukasz Fabianski’s performance. The goalkeeper made a string of decent saves, including a phenomenal stop in the second half, to keep Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils at bay.
“Fabianksi made one of the best saves I’ve seen live,” Noble laughed. “We had a game in training this week and he had one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. I told him I want a bit of whatever he’s been having for breakfast, because it’s working at the moment.”
With West Ham collecting seven points from their last nine in the Premier League, with an 8-0 win over Macclesfield Town coming in midweek, Noble is confident the Hammers can take the confidence from Saurday’s result into next Friday’s game with Brighton and Hove Albion.
He added: “We’ve got a tough game against Brighton on Friday night. We just got to keep working as a team and listening to the manager, and hopefully we can have a really good season.”