The “fantastic combination” of Son Heung-min and James Maddison has propelled Tottenham Hotspur to sole possession of the league lead.
The void left by the departure of striker Harry Kane to Bayern Munich is no longer something to fear.
Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou’s magic mercenary skills are also helping the team.
Tottenham striker Son Heung-min and midfield commander Maddison scored side-by-side goals in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) match against Fulham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Sept. 24 (ET).
Son rattled the net first in the 36th minute, and Maddison added a second nine minutes into the second half off a pass from Son in the middle of the box.
With one goal and one assist, Son is now second in the league with seven goals, behind only Elling Holland (Man City – nine).
He also scored his 110th league goal, reaching the 50-goal milestone at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, which opened in 2019.
Postecoglou is also the manager with the most points in his first nine EPL games.
In front of more than 60,000 fans, Tottenham’s attacking play, led by Son, Heung-min, Heucharlison and Maddison, shone throughout.
Maddison, who energized the game with his crisp passing and activity, said after the match, “We like to play in partnership.
We’re starting to understand each other’s movements,” Maddison said after the game, expressing his satisfaction with his performance alongside Son Heung-min.
“The pressure they put on (from the front) was the driving force behind the win,” Postecoglu told local media. Maddison is second in the league in assists (5).
Heung-min Son and Maddison are a “honey combination” for Postecoglou.
After Kane’s departure, Postecoglou handed the captain’s armband to Son Heung-min and recruited attacking midfielder Maddison from Leicester City.
With striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggling, Postecoglou began to utilize Son Heung-min in a more advanced role up front.
Postecoglou’s new strategy of using Son as his “nail” paid off immediately.
In the third game of the season, on August 27 against AFC Bournemouth, Son was inserted up front in the second half in place of Hicharlison, and he teamed up with Destiny Udogie and Dean Kluczewski to create a wedge goal that helped the team win its first two games in a row. 안전토토사이트
On September 2 against Burnley, he was up front from the start and scored a hat trick in a 5-2 win.
In the sixth round match against Arsenal on September 24, the “Son-Heung-min-Madison combination saved the day”.
Despite not winning the match 2-2, Tottenham set the tone for the rivalry with Son Heung-min slotting the ball into the back of the net in the first and second halves after Maddison stole it from his opponent.
The multi-goal performance earned Son the Premier League’s September Player of the Month honor.
It’s the same spot Maddison held in August.
Tottenham currently leads the league with seven wins and two draws (23 points), ahead of Man City, Arsenal (over 21 points), and Liverpool (20 points).
Spurs are unbeaten in their opening nine games for the first time in 63 years, since the 1960-1961 season in the English top flight, before the Premier League was launched.
It’s a huge turnaround from last season’s eighth-place finish.
Postecoglou said after the game, “We were consistent in both performance and results,” but added, “The second half was really disappointing, probably our worst 45 minutes,” and urged his players to stay tight.
Son Heung-min, who was named the man of the match, said: “The players are finding out what it means to play in a Tottenham shirt. We’re on the right track, but we can’t be complacent.
We need to keep moving forward with humility.”