OPINION
It’s not been very often this season where we’ve been able to say that West Ham United captain Mark Noble outperformed Hammers starlet Declan Rice in the centre of midfield.
However, after the two player’s contrasting afternoons against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, it’s safe to say that the experienced head got one over on his much younger teammate.
Noble won’t see it that way, of course, but there’s no doubt he was the more effective presence in the middle of the park for West Ham as they ran out 1-0 winners over their London rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 31-year-old put in a masterclass of central midfield play as he helped lead his team to a most unlikely victory. Indeed, manager Manuel Pellegrini will surely be thanking his lucky stars that his skipper was in such good form.
There’s no way that West Ham would have prevailed without their captain playing so well. He was the fulcrum in central midfield, setting the tone with an industrious and hugely effective performance.
It’s good to see Noble defy his critics and, at this late stage, produce arguably his finest performance of the season. He was absolutely everywhere on Saturday and Spurs simply couldn’t match his energy levels.
There were other good performances for the Hammers, of course. Issa Diop was magnificent at the back, Lukasz Fabianski imperious in goal and Michail Antonio a constant livewire on the wing.
It was Noble, however, who really led his team to victory here. Pellegrini will be delighted with the veteran’s dazzling display and the West Ham faithful should be as well.
