West Ham captain Mark Noble was involved in one of the most controversial moments in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United that also got Jose Mourinho sent off.
French midfielder Paul Pogba was booked by referee Jon Moss halfway through the second half for simulation. The yellow card means that he is unavailable for the League Cup quarter final clash against the Hammers.
The ripple effect from the decision also saw Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho being sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle in rage at the referee’s decision. This was met with accussations of hypocrisy by the fans. There was no contact made between the hard tackler Mark Noble and Pogba, but the decision remains a contentious one. Many would term Pogba’s fall as evasive action rather than a clear case of simulation.
After the game, Mark Noble himself admitted that he would have made contact with the Frenchman if he had not jumped out of the way. The quotes from this post-match interview are as yet unavailable on the internet, but they have been confirmed by Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst.
Noble said in interview with PL worldwide service he’d have clattered into Pogba had he not jumped out of the way. Quotes not yet published.
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) November 28, 2016
This further strengthens the belief that Manchester United were hard done by. Pogba played out the rest of the game, but is suspended for the mid-week League Cup clash against the Hammers. The repercussions are actually worse for manager Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho already has a turbulent history with the English FA. This is the second time this season that he’s been sent to the stands. The Portuguese manager was sent off against Burnley in October and was also slapped with a one-match touchline ban and a £8,000 fine.
The FA are set to charge him once again for improper conduct for this incident. The Portuguese manager has come under some harsh criticism for his behaviour, and this has added even more pressure to the already under-fire Manchester United manager.
