Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp sends Ange Postecoglou reminder with 100 per cent cameo v Manchester City
Oliver Skipp sent Ange Postecoglou a timely reminder that he is available and ready to help Tottenham amid their injury crisis with his brief but impressive cameo in the 3-3 draw against Manchester City.
A depleted Spurs team earned an unlikely point the Etihad Stadium on Sunday (3 December) as Dejan Kulusevski scored a last-gasp equaliser in a six-goal thriller which was not short of drama or talking points.
One Spurs man whose performance at the Etihad Stadium seems to have flown under the radar, however, is midfielder Skipp, with the 23-year-old having become something of a forgotten player in north London under Postecoglou.
Since the Australian took over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Skipp has started just once in the Premier League, against Brentford in the club’s opening game of the season, and has played just 276 minutes of football in all competitions.
The absence of European football and Spurs’ early exit from the Carabao Cup has condemned Skipp to mostly a bit-part role in the squad, which was once again the case against Manchester City despite the numerous injuries in midfield.
With James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur all unavailable for selection, Skipp still couldn’t find his way into the Tottenham team. As has so often been the case this season, the Spurs academy graduate was once again limited to a substitute appearance, although what was different about this appearance was the impact he made after coming on.
Playing away at the home of the reigning European and Premier League champions, Skipp put in his best performance of the season to date and was as influential in Tottenham’s equaliser as he was in helping them see out the draw.
Having been introduced in the 79th minute in place of Giovani Lo Celso, footage from the match shows his vital contribution in the buildup to Spurs’ 90th-minute equaliser. Moments before the goal, Skipp received the ball from Hojbjerg with three City players around him and very few players in a Tottenham shirt available to pass to.
Nonetheless, he showed fantastic composure on the ball, bringing it under control with his first touch and driving forward with his second, evading the challenge of Rico Lewis and Erling Haaland in the process, before picking out Son Heung-min with his third.
Son then played the ball out wide to Brennan Johnson, who crossed it in for Kulusevski to head home and send the away end into pandemonium.
While he won’t be credited with the assist, goal or even pre-assist, it is hard to ignore Skipp’s contribution and in truth if it wasn’t for his neat touch and skill in midfield, Spurs would’ve most likely been leaving Manchester empty-handed.
Once they had their goal, stats provided by SofaScore demonstrate that Skipp was key in helping Spurs protect their lead late on. The midfielder won three of his four ground duels, made one tackle and was incredibly efficient on the ball, completing 100 per cent of the passes he attempted.
One of Skipp’s defensive contributions proved to be absolutely vital. As Mateo Kovacic looked to release the ball out wide where Jack Grealish was waiting, Skipp chased the former Chelsea man down.
He managed to get a toe to the ball, preventing the pass and allowing Tottenham to regain possession through Pedro Porro.
Overall it was an incredibly impressive cameo that certainly changed the balance of the game, and while it might not be enough to earn himself a position in Postecoglou’s starting lineup, it would have certainly provided the Australian with some food for thought.
In other Tottenham news, another 100 per cent star stood out against Man City, being labelled “perfect” by one BBC pundit.