Lucas Paqueta: West Ham boss David Moyes had no doubts about midfielder
- Published
West Ham United manager David Moyes says there was "never any doubt" about playing Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta in the 3-1 win against Chelsea.
The 25-year-old is being investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches and as a result his mooted move to Manchester City has reportedly been put on hold., external
But he was lively against Chelsea and scored a late penalty to seal the win.
"He's a solid and tough character, so no problems," said Moyes.
"I thought 65,000 people stood to their feet and applauded him the whole game because of what he did.
"He went the whole way, played as well as anybody, showed character, never hid away from the ball ever. His performance was very, very good, especially in the second half.
"He's just a very good player."
Paqueta is in his second season at West Ham having joined last summer from Lyon for a club-record fee that could rise above £50m.
He was mobbed by his team-mates after scoring and went down after the final whistle with what appeared to be cramp.
"It's not a big weight off his shoulder, it's just a terrific performance," Moyes said. "He played really, really well."
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