West Ham matchwinner Mark Noble had no doubts over his injury-time spotkick against Liverpool last night.
"No one was going to go against me," he added, well aware that Dean Ashton was moving towards the ball and also fancied his chances against penalty expert Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal. "I was taking it no matter what. As soon as I picked up the ball I thought Reina's got a reputation...but I was so confident that I was going to score, I didn't feel that nervous."
Alan Curbishley could not hide his praise for Noble's all-round contribution.
"For a young boy he has shown great maturity," the manager said. "He really looked as if he was enjoying himself tonight. I left him out a couple of times just before Christmas and he was playing with an injury. He had this hernia problem, and he never told anyone. In the end he had to have it done. The rest he had has done him good."
