Post by bluetornados on Sept 20, 2021 16:33:38 GMT
The moment Mark Noble stepped off the West Ham bench to take an injury-time penalty against Manchester United, there was a sense of inevitability about the outcome.
On paper, it all made sense, Noble had converted 37 of his 42 penalties in all competitions and had not missed one since 2016.
Noble is one of the most prolific penalty takers in Premier League history, his 27 goals from the spot is the fourth highest in the competition, converting 84.4% of the 32 he has attempted.
Add to that David de Gea's poor record of saving spot kicks - the Spanish keeper had not stopped one since October 2014 in the league, a run of 21 penalties - and logic suggests it was a sound decision from Hammers boss David Moyes.
Including shoot-outs, David de Gea has saved a penalty for the first time since April 2016 for club and country, conceding 40 consecutive penalties before saving Mark Noble's in stoppage time.
But logic and football rarely go hand in hand.
The result was De Gea springing to his left and pushing away Noble's effort for a dramatic 2-1 victory for Manchester United.
On paper, it all made sense, Noble had converted 37 of his 42 penalties in all competitions and had not missed one since 2016.
Noble is one of the most prolific penalty takers in Premier League history, his 27 goals from the spot is the fourth highest in the competition, converting 84.4% of the 32 he has attempted.
Add to that David de Gea's poor record of saving spot kicks - the Spanish keeper had not stopped one since October 2014 in the league, a run of 21 penalties - and logic suggests it was a sound decision from Hammers boss David Moyes.
Including shoot-outs, David de Gea has saved a penalty for the first time since April 2016 for club and country, conceding 40 consecutive penalties before saving Mark Noble's in stoppage time.
But logic and football rarely go hand in hand.
The result was De Gea springing to his left and pushing away Noble's effort for a dramatic 2-1 victory for Manchester United.
