Moyes applauds Noble’s influence as West Ham get Europa ‘job done’
David Moyes celebrated a job well done after West Ham waltzed into the last 16 of the Europa League with a game to spare by beating Rapid Vienna in Austria.
First-half goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Mark Noble wrapped up top spot in Group H for Moyes’s side, allowing the Hammers to go straight through to the knockout stages, and avoid what could have been a tricky play-off in February against a team dropping down from the Champions League.
“Job done, yes,” said Moyes. “We did a professional job and throughout the group stage we’ve done a good job. It’s great credit to the players for the way they have gone about the job for a group relatively new to Europe.
“It’s something I’ve not taken in yet,” he added. “I knew we could get the job done, but I think tonight we have not played as well as we have done, but we did enough to get us through.
“It’s probably a good sign that I’m not totally pleased with the way we played, but we’ve won relatively comfortably.”
Despite Moyes making eight changes, resting the likes of Declan Rice and Michail Antonio, West Ham dominated the match.
They took the lead six minutes before half-time when Nikola Vlasic crossed from the left and Yarmolenko produced a simple header into the net – a first West Ham goal since January for the Ukraine international, who has played only 52 minutes in the Premier League this season. And Yarmolenko had a big hand in the second goal in first-half stoppage time, earning a penalty after he turned Rapid captain Maximilian Hofmann in the area and was brought down.
Captain Noble, who is clearly relishing this European adventure in his 18th and final season at the club, made no mistake from the penalty spot.
“Mark’s made such a contribution throughout the years at West Ham and it’s his final season as everyone knows, and he’s still contributing,”