IT’S RICE v PUDDINGS

West Ham .... 2 Newcastle .... 0 Dec flies as Magpies fail to launch

FEW players in the modern game will resonate with West Ham legend Billy Bonds more than Declan Rice and Mark Noble.

Not just here in the East End but across the country. So how fitting it was that on the day ‘Bonzo’ had a stand named after him here at the London Stadium those two scored the goals which earned his old club their victory.

Rice got the ball rolling with a cracking header early on from Robert Snodgrass’s corner.

He got the jump on Fabian Schar and thumped home his effort, no doubt to the approval of England assistant manager Steve Holland, who was watching on.

Then Noble followed up with a coolly taken penalty shortly before half-time, going ‘top bins’, as Raheem Sterling would say, after referee Chris Kavanagh had halted his initial run-up with several other players guilty of encroaching Martin Dubravka’s area.

Noble is far too long in the tooth to be fazed by such a hold-up.

But despite making around 400 league appearances for West Ham he still has some way to go if he wants to match Bonds’ total of 663.

Both Rice and Noble are throwback players – they go about their business with nothing flash about either of them. No wonder Bonds approves.

As well as the goals, both produced their usual solid displays. Mind you, they weren’t exactly given much of a test by a Newcastle side who’d come into the game with their tails up but did little to impress.

Perhaps those four victories in their last six outings have already got Rafa Benitez’s men thinking it’s job done in terms of avoiding relegation.

Benitez said: “We didn’t start well, didn’t do what we have to do at the start. We conceded two goals at set-pieces that we could have avoided easily.”

West Ham were robbed of Aaron Cresswell when he failed to recover from a nasty clash of heads with Javier Manquillo. Both suffered head wounds and soldiered on but Cresswell’s eventually forced him off the field.

A mazy run from Felipe Anderson had several Newcastle players seeing stars as well but after passing four of them he was stopped just as he threatened to produce something special.

The Brazilian is a joy to watch in full flow – unless you’re one of those defenders trying to catch him.

By the time Anderson got into the game West Ham were already in control thanks to Rice’s header – his second goal for the club after opening his account against Arsenal in January. Manuel Pellegrini spoke glowingly of him after that game but said he wanted more in front of goal.

He, like Holland, will have been impressed with what he delivered against Newcastle.

And whatever the rights or wrongs about his defection from the Republic of Ireland, there can be no doubting the Three Lions have got themselves some player.

In Noble, Rice has an excellent mentor and he got the chance to join the youngster on the scoresheet when Javier Hernandez was too clever for Florian Lejeune.

The Mexican took an extra touch that invited a challenge and Lejeune obliged for Noble to convert from the spot. This was a day for the home fans and their heroes new and old.

Noble said: “You could feel the atmosphere before the game, the crowd was extra loud. I know Billy Bonds quite well and he is a fantastic person and was a fantastic player.

“Everyone can look to him as an example for the football club. It was a great occasion.”