Tag: Rodrigo Betancur

Son Heung-Min hits hat trick as Tottenham steamrolls Leicester 6-2

No start, no problem for Son

Son Heung-Min’s slow start to the Premier League season appears to be over.

Son, who was rotated to the bench by Antonio Conte after starting the season with only one goal contribution in Tottenham’s first eight games, produced a hat trick anyway as Spurs clobbered Leicester City 6-2 on Saturday.

Richarlison got the start for Tottenham over Son, but a wild first half saw Leicester take the lead on a twice-taken Youri Tielemans penalty, only to see Harry Kane and Eric Dier put Spurs ahead by the 21st minute (with both Tottenham goals coming on corner kicks).

Leicester equalized through a James Maddison stunner, but the second half was all Spurs. Rodrigo Betancur put them ahead in the 47th minute, and Son made his way into the match 12 minutes later.

Son notched his first goal in transition, showing supreme confidence. Spurs forced a midfield turnover and the South Korea international found himself one-on-two on the counter. With help not exactly arriving at the speed required, Son called his own number, freezing both Leicester defenders before feinting right and sending a rocket past Danny Ward.

His second was even better. Leicester had numbers back, but Kane still found a seam to pass to Son, in the right half-space. From 23 yards and with no one in blue opting to close him down, Son went to his less-preferred left foot to fire a gorgeous curling shot just inside the post, sending the home fans into rapture.

Leicester threw numbers forward in search of any positivity to take away in the final minutes, but that just meant another Spurs counter set Son up to claim the match ball. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg led the break before sending Son, who had gone wide left, in alone to tuck the ball under Ward.

The goal was initially called back for offside, but after a minute-long VAR check, that call was overturned, giving Son his third Premier League hat trick.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Son told the BBC about his extremely calm reaction to scoring his first goal of the year. “All the frustration and what I had, disappointment and negative feeling just went (away). I couldn’t move so I stood still. It made me really happy.”

“I was really frustrated as well,” added Son. “I can do much better than I have been. I have been disappointed, the team has been doing really, really good but I was disappointed with my (recent) performance.”

Watch Son’s amazing hat trick for Spurs

[lawrence-related id=7249,6716]