Cristian’s verdict on Chelsea: “We were ready to fight for every ball”
Oliver Skipp’s superb strike was the icing on the cake for a performance that ticked all the boxes for Cristian Stellini as we toppled Chelsea 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Skippy unleashed from 20 yards to open the scoring a minute into the second half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his first senior goal in 67 appearances for the Club he joined as a six-year old. Harry Kane converted Eric Dier’s flick from Heung-Min Son’s corner to secure the points eight minutes from time.
The victory maintained our current momentum with a third clean sheet and third win in four matches in the Premier League with huge games to follow in the next 10 days – our FA Cup fifth round tie at Sheffield United on Wednesday (7.55pm), Wolves away in the Premier League on Saturday (3pm) and then the second leg of our UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Milan here in N17 on Wednesday week (8 March, 8pm).
“It’s a great win, an important win because it’s the first game in a busy run, so it was important to continue the momentum,” said Cristian, Antonio Conte’s assistant. "We want to be consistent, and we were today, but we have to continue. So, every day, we close the book, then you open the next book for the next game, and the next game will be important because it’s an FA Cup game, and we want to continue our run.”
Cristian on... the performance
“It was great because, from the start, we were ready to fight for every ball. We showed the desire to win every tackle and that was the most important thing. After, 20, 25 minutes, we started to play well. The players were good to understand that moment. We were lucid in that moment and started to play well with the ball and in possession.”
Cristian on... Skippy’s goal
“It was a great goal, and this type of goal is an important goal for us, because it came from a midfielder, and when you start to play well with the ball and control the game, it’s important a midfielder arrives there. Skippy is not usual to do this, but he trained very well and this moment is important for him. He deserves this type of goal.”
Cristian on... keeping it clean
“We had a clean sheet against Manchester City, West Ham, again against Chelsea, a team that attacks well, performs well, they score a lot. It’s important for us to understand how important it is to help each other in defensive situations. We closed the space very well, understood the way to put pressure on them. It was a great game, defensively.”