Oliver Skipp says his first Tottenham goal in Sunday's 2-0 home win over Chelsea was more special after a difficult year spent in the treatment room and on the sidelines.
Skipp missed the second half of last season with a chronic pelvic injury and made just two starts this term before the World Cup.
But the 22-year-old has been thrust into the team following serious injuries to Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma, and was outstanding as Spurs beat Chelsea at their new ground for the first time, opening the scoring with a thunderous strike at the start of the second half.
"It makes it sweeter to score your first goal in a game like that, and for it to be an important one and to get the win as well," Skipp told Standard Sport. "Massive. Very sweet.
"The last year has been difficult. The first half of the season, from a personal point of view, didn't go how I wanted it to go. Even when I was playing, I didn't feel like I was performing to my level, so it's nice in the last few games to feel like I'm getting back to that level I know I can [achieve].
"And, hopefully, keep pushing and keep improving. It makes times like this so special, because the last year hasn't been the best personally with the injuries. It was special to come back and score that goal."
With Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg suspended, Skipp and 20-year-old Pape Matar Sarr started together in the Champions League last-16 first leg against AC Milan at the San Siro earlier this month, and the young pair more than held their own in a 1-0 defeat.
"I was always confident in my abilities, I always felt I'd be able to [perform] when the opportunities came, so it was just about training hard and keep pushing," Skipp added.
"Obviously, with the terrible injuries that we've had, we've only got three fit midfielders, so it was down to me, Pape and Pierre to step up. Pape was brilliant in the Milan game — hopefully we have shown everyone we can be trusted."
Tottenham tightened their hold on fourth place and now sit four points above fifth-placed Newcastle, who have two games in hand and were playing in the Carabao Cup Final yesterday.
Head coach Antonio Conte was again absent from the touchline, as he continues to recover from gallbladder surgery, but his assistant, Cristian Stellini, maintained a 100 per cent record from the four matches he has been in charge of the team this season, with Harry Kane scoring a crucial second.
"I've seen Antonio on FaceTime," Skipp said. "He must have played the whole game! You know what he's like. But he just congratulated me, he was happy and we wish him well."
