West Ham Boss David Moyes Backs Joe Hart After Mistake Almost Gifted Stoke All 3 Points

West Ham manager David Moyes has come to the defence of his goalkeeper Joe Hart, whose mistake almost gifted Stoke all three points on Monday night.

In a game pitting two sides in the relegation battle, Peter Crouch pounced on Hart's error in the 79th minute having initially fumbled Xherdan Shaqiri's strike, before Andy Carroll rescued a point for the Hammers in the 90th minute, sparing the blushes of the England international. 

With his place in the England squad for Russia this summer far from certain, Moyes, as quoted by the Telegraph, has given his backing to Hart, insisting his recent performance against Chelsea should serve to remind everyone what he is capable of. 

Moyes said: "He had two very similar shots in the first half and he took them quite comfortably in his midriff. So it was a surprise that it spilt out. But, look, if you’re a goalkeeper it’s going to happen.

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"Last week, after he made fantastic saves at Chelsea, I said to him 'well done'. I didn’t go over the top because I expect him to do that. Tonight I'll tell him 'You should have done better on that one'."

Hart has endured a difficult season at the London Stadium this season, having arrived on a season-long loan from recently crowned Premier League champions Manchester City. 

Limited to 18 league appearances after an extended stint on the bench between September to the beginning of March, Hart this season has made four errors that have led to goals, more than fellow England hopefuls Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and Nick Pope combined, with one set to miss out on a spot in Gareth Southgate's England squad this summer.