West Ham United joined the growing list of Premier League sides who have come painfully close to ending Liverpool’s 45 match unbeaten run but ultimately ended up leaving Anfield with nothing. The Hammers took a 2-1 lead but squandered their advantage and remain in the relegation zone, with just 11 games of the Premier League season left to play. Despite a performance which was almost incomparable to their turgid display against Manchester City, the game yielded the same result, and after the match, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski apologised to his teammates for an error which cost his side a valuable point.
However, captain Mark Noble, rated £5.4m (Transfermarkt), was not having that. The Englishman told Sky Sports after the match: “There have been many a time when I have walked into the changing room and said, ‘thank you’ for the saves he has pulled off.” Noble added: “As I said, it’s part of football. But this season, individual errors have cost us a lot of points. He came in and said ‘sorry’ but, for me, I don’t like it – because he has saved us many a time.”
It would have been easy for his teammates to relieve themselves of any responsibility for the result and let their Polish goalkeeper shoulder the blame. But instead, Noble’s comments typified his outstanding attitude and will give the keeper hope he can put the mistake behind him.
The 32-year-old midfielder’s comments ring true though, and individual errors have cost West Ham dearly this season, particularly between the sticks. Throughout this season the Hammers have trailed four different stoppers, and January addition Darren Randolph is the only one of the quartet not to have made an error leading to a goal. This was the second occasion this term Fabianski’s mistakes have allowed the opposition to score, while Roberto Jimenez, also made two costly errors. Meanwhile, despite only making five appearances, David Martin made a mistake leading to a goal.
Other than Martin, two, Fabianski is the only keeper to have kept a clean sheet for West Ham this season, four, and during his injury absence, the Pole has been sorely missed. Noble’s tough love not to accept the goalkeeper’s apology reminded him of the crucial role he will play if the Hammers are to survive.
