Garth Crooks has admitted that he was left stunned by what he saw one Tottenham Hotspur player do during their 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou’s men have taken control of the race to finish fourth in the Premier League.
Spurs secured the victory against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, with Pedro Porro making the points safe in the second-half.
Tottenham are now ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference, with Postecoglou’s side also boasting a game in hand. Manchester United meanwhile, are 11 points back with seven games remaining.
Garth Crooks left stunned by Tottenham player after Nottingham Forest win
There is no question who scored the goal of the game in North London. It was Micky van de Ven who put Tottenham back in front with a thunderous shot seven minutes into the second-half.
Van de Ven was the surprise option alongside Heung-min Son as the Tottenham captain looked to make something happen on the edge of the Forest penalty area.
Son did give the Dutchman the ball. And van de Ven went on to fire an amazing strike into the back of the net.
Van de Ven has received so many plaudits for his form at the back this season. But speaking to BBC Sport, Garth Crooks suggested that he was taken aback by how good a goal it was.
“What a strike – the goalkeeper never moved. We know he has pace and we know he has the composure but I never knew Van de Ven could strike a ball like he did in the 3-1 win against Nottingham Forest. It was about as good as a two-touch finish you will see. It was also a very important goal for Spurs whose inconsistency is their only threat to a top-four place,” he said.
“The goal settled Tottenham down sufficiently to put a potentially troublesome Forest side to bed. Spurs go back into the top four with a mouth-watering tie against Arsenal looming in three weeks’ time. Both clubs need maximum points for very different reasons but defeat for either club could ruin their most cherished ambitions this season.”
Micky van de Ven clearly a real threat in the final third
It was van de Ven’s second goal of the season. And while that was a very different goal to the one on Sunday, that did show his potential in the penalty area.
He did brilliantly to put himself in the position to convert James Maddison’s pass against Luton in October. He dropped out of the six-yard box before managing to divert the ball into the far corner with the inside of his boot.
So he is clearly someone who is going to contribute at both ends of the pitch in the years ahead.
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