Academy graduate Oliver Skipp reacts to his first Tottenham Hotspur goal in win vs Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp’s goal against Chelsea earlier today (26 February) was a goal nearly a decade in the making.
The English midfielder joined our youth ranks in 2013. Fast forward 10 years and he has scored his first senior goal for the club in quite arguably one of the biggest Spurs fixtures on the calendar.
He hit a powerful shot in the 46th minute which whizzed past Kepa Arrizabalaga. According to the 22-year-old, it wasn’t hit perfectly. He said after the game (h/t the Guardian):
“The first goal always a special one and in that game it means a lot. I think I cut across it slightly, it wasn’t completely perfect, but we work a lot in training on getting to those second balls on the edge of the box. It just bounced up nicely and I thought I’d give it a hit!
“It means a lot when you come through the club as a boy – you know these London derbies are massive, you know how much it means to the supporters and how difficult these games have been. It thought the boys at the back were brilliant. Everyone dug in, making tackles, making blocks, everything you need to keep that clean sheet.”
Perfect or not, many would dream of such a strike being their first goal for their club. Skipp’s shot was still placed well and was powerful enough to beat the Spain international in Chelsea’s goal.
A goal is always the best way to reward a player’s efforts on the pitch. Skipp’s role doesn’t warrant creating and finishing off chances from midfield. Of course, that is always a bonus.
But the English central midfielder is tasked with doing the dirty work in midfield, especially off the ball. He tracks back, tackles, intercepts and provides the attackers with a strong foundation to go out and attack without worrying about what or who is behind them in case of a counterattack.
More Tottenham Hotspur News:
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- Why Tottenham Hotspur aren’t prioritising Jan Oblak transfer from Atletico Madrid to replace Hugo Lloris
This goal would be a massive motivation for the Spurs academy graduate. He has been great in Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma’s absence due to injury and one would fancy him to retain his spot in the team for the upcoming games.
