Starting as the lone striker... Goal at 43rd minute of the second half
Joint 6th in scoring rankings
One goal away from 20 season attack points
Our soccer 'flagship' Son Heung-min tasted a goal in the English professional soccer Premier League (EPL) after about two months.
Son Heung-min is performing his signature celebration after scoring his 13th goal in the early hours of the 3rd during the regular league match against Crystal Palace. Photo by Tottenham official Facebook
On the 3rd (Korean time), Son Heung-min started as a starter in the 27th round home match of the 2023-2024 regular league against Crystal Palace held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, UK, and scored in the 43rd minute of the second half while the team was leading 2-1, sealing the victory. This is the first goal news in about two months since he scored his 12th goal in the regular league match against Bournemouth held in the early morning of January 1st.
With this goal, Son Heung-min increased his number of goals scored in the league this season to thirteen. He also rose to joint 6th place in the scoring rankings. The gap with the leader Erling Haaland (Manchester City, 17 goals) narrowed to 4 goals. Including 6 assists in the league, Son Heung-min's attacking points this season increased to 19, and adding just one more will break through 20.
Tottenham, led by Son Heung-min's performance, defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 and accumulated 50 points to maintain 5th place in the league. They are still 5 points behind 4th place Aston Villa (55 points), who defeated Luton 3-2 that day.
With Richarlison sidelined for a while due to a knee injury, Tottenham positioned Son Heung-min at the forefront to face Crystal Palace that day. Timo Werner, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski also started together.
Son Heung-min was sharp from the beginning of the match. In the 18th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min connected a flowing ball in his own half to a brilliant through pass, starting a solo dribble by Werner, who ran into the center of the penalty area and faced a one-on-one opportunity with goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, but the shot was directed toward Johnstone, and the goal was not scored. Tottenham recorded over 80% possession in the first half but had only 2 shots, one less than the opponent, and ended without scoring.
In the 9th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min even had some 'goalpost misfortune.' Kulusevski sent a low cross from the right side, and Son Heung-min struck it with his right foot in the center of the penalty area, but it hit the lower right part of the goalpost and came out.
In the 14th minute of the second half, Tottenham conceded a free-kick opening goal to Eberechi Eze and was put on the defensive. However, Tottenham, who substituted midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur with Brennan Johnson in the 18th minute of the second half, fired the signal for a comeback with Johnson's equalizing goal in the 32nd minute of the second half.
Johnson, who won a contest with the opponent on the right side and entered the penalty area, sent a low cross that Werner rushed in to finish with his right foot. This was Werner's first goal for Tottenham since joining on loan from RB Leipzig in Germany last January.
Then, in the 35th minute of the second half, defender Cristian Romero, who joined the attack, headed in Maddison's cross in front of the goal, turning the tide in Tottenham's favor. In the 43rd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min brilliantly decorated the finale. When Johnson passed near the halfway line, Son Heung-min immediately sprinted his characteristic sprint, ran about 36 meters, and fired the clinching goal with his right foot from the penalty arc. Son Heung-min was substituted for Dane Scarlett in the 45th minute of the second half amid applause from the fans.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
