West Ham captain Mark Noble admits Spurs defeat still ‘hurts’

Scott Anderson
Mark Noble: Doubted penalty decision

Mark Noble: Doubted penalty decision

West Ham captain Mark Noble admits that the 4-1 defeat against Spurs on Sunday still “hurts” the players. 

The Hammers have achieved shock away wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City already this season, but Slaven Bilic’s side were comprehensively beaten at White Hart Lane.

Two goals from Harry Kane sent Spurs on their way to victory and by the time Manuel Lanzini’s eventually pulled one back the damage had been done.

Noble admits it could have been a much different game had Cheikhou Kouyate’s scissor kick gone in minutes after Tottenham’s opener, but the 28-year-old aims to bounce back with a win against West Brom this weekend.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Noble said: “This defeat hurts us the most because it is a London derby. We have been on the winning side a lot over the last few years.

“They scored from a set play in the first half and we were not out of the game at that point. We had a couple of chances ourselves and Cheikhou hit the crossbar.

“If that chance goes in it is a different game. But when you go 2-0 down in a London derby it is tough to come back from.

“But they scored straight after half-time and that made it virtually impossible for us. It was a disappointing day.

“Goals at home can lift the crowd and when Harry Kane scored it made life that much harder for us. The third goal really killed us and it was sloppy play from us.

“But we need to put this behind us and look forward to West Brom which is another game on television and put things right.”