Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min (centre) is congratulated by teammates after his aim in opposition to Fulham within the Premier League on October 23, 2023
| Photo Credit: Reuters
With a scientific end and a neat help, Son Heung-min delivered his finest impression of Harry Kane to propel Tottenham again to the top of the Premier League on Monday.
The 2-0 win over Fulham confirmed as soon as once more that Tottenham can thrive with out the departed Kane this season.
Especially with Son, the participant who has changed Kane because the workforce’s middle ahead, in such prolific type.
Both of Tottenham’s objectives got here from the identical supply — Fulham defender Calvin Bassey giving freely possession when passing out from the again below strain — and Son had a key function in every of them.
In the thirty sixth minute, the South Korea captain was readily available to accumulate a go from Richarlison after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg intercepted Bassey’s clearance. Son confirmed nice footwork to minimize inside, round overlaying defender Tim Ream, and curl a shot into the far nook from the sting of the world.
The second aim, scored by playmaker James Maddison within the 54th, was related as Hojbjerg once more stopped a go from Bassey reaching its supposed goal. Bassey is a left-footed participant who was deployed Monday as a right-sided middle again and he misplaced each passes together with his proper foot.
Hojbjerg stabbed a first-time go to Son, whose deft lay-off went into the trail of Maddison and the England playmaker slotted dwelling below former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
“That was what won us the game tonight, the work without the ball,” Tottenham supervisor Ange Postecoglou stated. “Both our goals came from that.”
Tottenham regained the two-point lead with which the workforce entered the weekend and remained unbeaten after 9 video games, together with north London rival Arsenal. It has 23 factors below Postecoglou, who took over as Tottenham supervisor within the offseason, and that is essentially the most any coach has gained from his first 9 video games in cost within the competitors.
Kane is perhaps pouring within the objectives in Germany — he has 9 in eight video games for Bayern Munich within the Bundesliga — however Son is doing the identical for Tottenham since being pushed up entrance by Postecoglou, having began the season on the left wing.
Son has seven objectives, the identical as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and solely two behind top scorer Erling Haaland of Manchester City.
Maddison has additionally slotted in seamlessly since becoming a member of from relegated Leicester within the offseason. That was his first dwelling aim, after scoring twice on the street, and he celebrated by performing a darts pose alongside Son.
“Coming to a club like Tottenham, which is obviously a bigger club in stature than Leicester, the scrutiny, the responsibility, the pressure goes up a notch,” Maddison stated. “I love that. I thrive off that — 60,000 fans were here today and I love these occasions.”
Fulham stayed in thirteenth place on 11 factors.
“At the end of the day, the goals we gave away are identical,” stated Ream, Fulham’s captain. “Players at this level will punish you if you give the ball away in those areas.”
