“Captain” Son Heung-min (32), who helped Tottenham win the game against Nottingham Forest and took the lead in recapturing fourth place in the league, expressed his will to win the remaining seven games.
Son Heung-min started as the front-line one-top in a home game against Nottingham in the 32nd round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) that ended at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 8th (Korea time) and helped Mickey Van der Pen score the winning goal in the 7th minute of the second half when they faced 1-1.
Having caught the ball in front of the penalty box, he connected it to Van der Pen, who was in a situation where his left hand was not marked. He finished with a powerful left foot shot. Son’s ninth assist (15 goals) in the league. After Van der Pen’s score, Tottenham won the game 3-1 with a wedge shot with Pedro Porro’s right foot non-stop shot in the 12th minute of the second half.
With 18 wins, six draws and seven losses (60 points), Tottenham is tied with Villa (60 points) who played one more game. However, the team has a one-goal lead in goal difference, moving up to fourth place, the Maginot line to advance to the Champions League in the next season. Manchester City (70 points), which is ranking third, is 10 points shorter than Manchester City (70 points).
“All players should feel a sense of responsibility. It’s up to us where we are now. We need to be prepared to show 100 percent what we have, rather than trying to play well in every game,” Son told reporters at the joint coverage area soon after the match. “It may be a good picture for fans to be in fourth place right now, but it doesn’t mean anything. I need to change my soul for the next seven games. I’m ready to change my soul. If all the players participate with this mindset, I will definitely finish the season with good results,” he said, vowing to do his best to the end.
Son recorded his ninth assist in the league against Nottingham. He is tying for fourth in this category after Pascal Gross (Brighton), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), and Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), who both have 10 assists. In the scoring category, Son, who is tying for sixth, four goals behind top scorer Erling Holan (Manchester City, 19 goals), is poised to challenge both the top scorer and the top scorer.
In the history of the EPL, only four players swept both the top scorer and the top helper in a single season. They were Andy Cole (then Newcastle, 34 goals and 13 assists), Jimmy Floyd Haselbink (then Leeds United, 18 goals and 13 assists), Harry Kane (then Tottenham, 23 goals and 14 assists), and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, 23 goals and 13 assists).
If he adds one more help, he will achieve 10 goals and 10 assists (10-10) in three seasons. He became the first Asian player to achieve 10-10 (11 goals and 10 assists) in the EPL during the 2019-2020 season. He also scored 17 goals and 10 assists in the 2020-2021 season.
Son became the first non-European player to play in 400 Tottenham games against West Ham. Receiving congratulatory messages from his old teammates such as Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Dele Alli (Everton) and Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), Son said, “I was so congratulated that I felt overwhelmed. I needed time emotionally from the messages (congratulations) from the player I played with, the player I am playing with, and the coach. I tried to hold it in because I was embarrassed and I couldn’t cry,” and added, “I felt proud that I could remain a good friend yet.”
BY: 토토