West Ham United captain Mark Noble has praised the atmosphere inside London Stadium, after his side picked up a vital three points against Swansea City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Cheikhou Kouyate’s first half strike sealed the three points, and ended a run of five straight defeats, and Noble emphasised the value of the fans’ backing in bringing that run to an end.
"That was probably the best atmosphere, for a game of that pressure against Swansea, that we have played in at this Stadium and I thought the fans were great and really helped,’ said the West Ham captain.
"We knew Arsenal was a tough place to go on Wednesday night and we played well in the first half and wanted to get a result there, so to lose and make it five losses in a row and then play like we did under a lot of pressure was brilliant.â€
While Kouyate’s strike will take the headlines, and rightly so, the Hammers were indebted to a strong team performance, especially a defence which kept a vital clean sheet. From the energy of the team’s full backs, to the experience and last-ditch interceptions from the evergreen James Collins, Noble reserved extra praise for his backline.
"We had a lot of players who haven't played a lot of football - Ginge has played three games in a week now, Arthur Masuaku hasn't played a lot, nor has Sam Byram, so I'm just really, really proud of the lads,†he said.
"You never know what's going to happen. I've had that feeling in my belly the whole week where I just wanted the game to be over and done with and to sit on Saturday night and enjoy a win. Saturday was fantastic and it was just a pure relief."
