BBC pundit shares Oliver Skipp verdict in Tottenham loss at AC Milan

Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat at AC Milan in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday night.

Spurs delivered a decent enough performance at the San Siro but couldn’t come back from Brahim Diaz’s early opener.

However, Tottenham will surely feel confident about getting a good result in North London in the second leg.

There was also another silver lining for Spurs against Milan, namely the performance of the young midfield duo.

Tottenham went into the game without three of their main midfielders.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma are injured, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was serving a suspension.

This meant Antonio Conte had to name Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr in the middle of the park.

And both players gave a great account of themselves on the night.

While Sarr stood out, Skipp also played very well, with BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin singing both players’ praises.

“Skipp has done really well and been neat and tidy,” he said on Radio 5 Live, via the BBC Sport website.

“I have to say Sarr has caught the eye just a little bit more.

“The two of them coming in there, they’re a long way from being first picks, but they’re looking a good partnership.”

Turning a corner

It’s great to see Skipp and Sarr come into the starting XI and rise to the occasion.

Skipp has endured some difficult times over the past 12 months or so.

He missed the final four months of last season with a pubis injury which resulted in him having to undergo surgery.

Skipp initially returned in pre-season for Spurs, only to sustain a hairline fracture in his heel.

While the 22-year-old hasn’t had any injury issues since returning in August, he has struggled for minutes this term.

On Tuesday, we were reminded of the quality the £40,000-a-week talent has.

Hopefully Skipp can kick on and stake a claim for more starts alongside Sarr.