“I have to thank him for his support” – Alfie Gilchrist thanks one person after marking out Son Heung in 2-0 win over SPurs
Chelsea defeated Tottenham 2-0, and Alfie Gilchrist made his second Premier League start.
The 20-year-old has praised Mauricio Pochettino for enabling him to realize his “dream” of playing for Chelsea by defeating Tottenham.
Gilchrist, who watched the Blues from the East Stand as a child, now considers joining the Chelsea team to be a dream come true.
The Chelsea supporters showed their admiration for the youngster, as they chanted “he’s one of our own” on Thursday night.
Gilchrist said: “I sat up in the East Stand upper. I wanted to be down here playing whenever I was up there.
“That’s what I am doing now. If you told me this would happen before the season, I probably wouldn’t have believed you, but it is a dream come true.
“I hope to keep ticking off these achievements. I feel I have taken my chance tonight. These games will only help me and I will keep improving when I keep testing myself against the best players. My family say keep going and believe in your ability.”
Gilchrist had a good game defending against Son Heung-Min in the first half and Brennan Johnson in the second half, and he has put it down to confidence from the manager.
“He has given me a lot of confidence and got me to keep believing and do my thing and play my football for Chelsea,” Alfie Gilchrist said.
“He keeps us calm and tells us what to do. We are all still learning, and the support is brilliant.
“I feel like [he believed in me] after I came on after my debut at Palace. He started pushing me even more. I got my first start and built a good relationship with him from there.”
It was great to see Alfie Gilchrist perform so well against Tottenham.