This ex-Ajax player was Chelsea’s brightest light as they welcomed London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in a crucial clash between the two sides
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Pictures: Chelsea v Tottenham
Hakim Ziyech admitted that he didn’t expect his wondergoal on the edge from the penalty box to be scored by Chelsea as they beat TottenhamHotspur, 2-0, in a routine win for the Blues against their London counterparts.
Although the Morocco international was supposed to be at the same stage as the rest of his national team, a dispute with Vahid Halilhodzic, the manager of the national side, has resulted in him staying in London. This is a good thing for Chelsea.
Thomas Tuchel won the victory with the help of the former Ajax man. Hugo Lloris, Spurs’ shot-stopper, was left rooted to the spot by a magnificent curling effort.
The French goalkeeper couldn’t help but watch as Ziyech’s dipping attempt crashed into the top-left corner.
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Ziyech admitted to having felt like many watching from home that his efforts were flying high, even though it was a shaky start to the Blues’ scoring.
Ziyech was asked by reporters after the match whether he knew that the strike was goalbound as soon as it touched his foot.
“Nah ,I was following the ball but I thought I hit it a little bit hard, then in the end I saw it go in.”He laughed.
When asked how he rate the strike, he replied: “I think it was a 10/10!”
His manager agreed and said that he thought the shot would fly over the crossbar, rather than the corner of Spurs’ goal.
“I was right behind. I had a feeling it was a little bit high, but it dropped in the right second, and was a brilliant goal,”Tuchel explained.
Ziyech’s goal was his second consecutive game, but his first against Brighton earlier in the week prompted a different celebration — muted in comparison to his one against Spurs.
When asked why, the 28 year-old replied: “I think it’s two different situations.
“The game against Brighton we didn’t play well so there was a little bit of frustration.
“But I think today we played well. Had a lot of chances and good football.”
Tuchel agreed with his player on this subject and insisted that his Blues team were worthy winners at the end.
“We were working extremely hard for it, it was a tough match. But we’re very happy because the effort was outstanding,”The German was also added.
“It was a deserved win. It’s hard to create chances against them, but I think we were relentless and we kept on believing.
“Excellent team effort and great result.”
A win for the Blues was pivotal in their bid to not get dragged into a desperate race for fourth spot currently being fought between the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and West Ham.
