Tottenham suffered a 0-4 defeat against Newcastle in the 33rd round of the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) held at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England on the 13th (Korea time). Tottenham dropped to fifth place with only 60 points (18 wins, 6 draws).
For Tottenham, Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Christian Romero, Mickey van der Ben, Destiny Udogi, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Timo Werner, James Medicine, Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min started the match. Son was also a forward striker on the day.
Tottenham increased its ball possession from the beginning of the game, but failed to sway Newcastle’s defense. Rather, Newcastle targeted the back of Tottenham’s defense by utilizing Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak.
Newcastle eventually scored the first goal in the 30th minute. Gordon launched a counterattack and connected it to Isak, who penetrated into the back of the defense. Isak shook the net with a right footed shot after beating Van der Ben. Two minutes later, a captive backpass was directed at Gordon and Gordon broke Van der Ben again before opening the score with a right footed shot.
Newcastle’s offensive was far from over. Issac scored another goal in the sixth minute of the second half to score multiple goals, and Fabian Shea completed the score 4-0 in the last half with a powerful header from a corner.
Son Heung-min was tightly tied to Newcastle’s defense on the day. He failed to show any remarkable performance as he was blocked by the tall defense consisting of Denburn and Shea. There was no dribble that Son boasts of penetrating the back space and saving speed. Rather, the scene where Son lost his ball twice led to a loss, providing an excuse for two runs, leaving him with regret.
British media pointed out Postecoglou’s strategy of using Son as the front line against Newcastle. “Postecoglou let Son come down and connect the ball. But that is not the kind of play that Son is good at. Son is not a player who guards the ball with his back. When he runs towards the goal, he gains momentum.”
Also highlighted were Son’s dark expressions at the time of the substitution. “He was disappointed at the match. His expression tells everything when he is being replaced,” the media outlet said.
BY: 스포츠토토