Moyes says he does not regret Noble decision despite penalty miss in Manchester United loss

David Moyes-West Ham United

West Ham United coach David Moyes has insisted that he has no regrets after he decided to bring on Mark Noble to take a penalty in his side’s loss to Manchester United on Sunday backfired.

The Hammers were awarded a penalty late in the game after Luke Shaw was penalised for blocking Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross with his arm.

With the game poised at 2-1, Moyes sent club captain Noble to take the penalty. The veteran has a good penalty record and had scored 38 of his last 42 penalties, not missing one since December 2016.

However, against United on Sunday, he could not reproduce his magic with David de Gea saving his penalty to deny West Ham a dramatic equaliser and a point in the game.

His decision to bring on Noble to take the penalty drew criticism from many fans and pundits alike who saw his approach as to why West Ham lost the game.

But speaking after the game about his decision, Moyes insisted that he had no regrets about his decision.

When asked about his decision, the West Ham manager said: ‘Do I regret it? Not at all because Mark Noble is one of the best penalty takers we have got.

“We had time to think about it, time to make that choice: my choice, my decision. You have to make big decisions. Sometimes they go, and sometimes they don’t. I think I would have been more disappointed in myself if I hadn’t made the decision.”

The save by De Gea was a rare one as it was his first in five years after he conceded his last 40 penalties.

Speaking about his penalty heroics after the game, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “I believe in David.”

“I’ve seen Mark Noble score so many penalties, so of course you did feel down and out and expect to come home with one point. But luckily, David has just continued his good form.”