Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara had a cheeky exchange about West Ham midfielder Mark Noble bursting down the flank in the 2-2 draw against Leicester City.
Shephard highlighted how the Hammers captain burst down the flank and put in the perfect cross for Michail Antonio to head home, with him clearly making a subtle reference to how that was a rare sight.
Kamara seem to hint that Shephard had previously told him Noble didn’t mean for his cross to land where it did, but admitted they were only kidding in case Noble was watching.
“Let’s start with the good, Mark Noble charging down the left-hand side with his perfect left-footed cross just showing how brilliant and talented he is Kammy,” said Shephard on Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday (11:38am, Sky Sports Premier League, Sunday April 21st).
Kamara replied laughing: “You said it was a swinger, and we’re only kidding Noble if you’re watching.”
The pair then joked between themselves again when replaying the clip of Noble’s cross with Kammy saying it was a “swinger” while Shephard kept saying it was a “perfect” left-footed cross.
OPINION
It seems Shephard and Kamara had fun analysing the build-up to Antonio’s goal against the Foxes as it’s not often you see Noble showcasing his ‘blistering’ pace. The Hammers captain is arguably one of the slowest members of Manuel Pellegrini’s usual first-team and he is often not seen charging down the wings as a result. Usually Noble is found in the heart of the Hammers’ midfield, sometimes just in front of the club’s defence, trying to win the midfield battle for his side alongside Declan Rice. However Noble’s assist against the Foxes did show a new side to his game even if it’s one fans shouldn’t get accustomed to. The 31-year-old after his antics on Saturday, now has three goals and four assists for the season after featuring 29 times across all competitions. While Noble won’t be running down the flanks in the Hammers upcoming games, though may be he will continue to be a surprise, his passing ability should see him able to grab at least one more assist before the curtain closes on the 2018/19 campaign.