Heung-min suffered an unexpected injury at the worst possible time, with his club Tottenham in a winless slump. There was even speculation that he could miss their next game.
Tottenham suffered a 1-2 reverse at home to West Ham in the 15th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, at 5:15 a.m. ET on Aug. 8.
The result leaves Tottenham with eight wins, three draws and four losses, and 27 points.
They remain in fifth place in the league, but are being closely followed by sixth-place Manchester United (27 points).
They are also not far behind ninth-place West Ham (7W3D5L-24P), who also added a win today.
South Korean forward Son Heung-min started up front and played a total of 88 minutes before being substituted off in the 43rd minute. His exit was due to injury rather than tactical reasons.
After attempting a pass near the halfway line in the second half, he suddenly fell to the ground and limped off.
The pain appeared to be severe. Hotspur Sports released a video of Son Heung-min on the bench after being subbed out.
As he sat on the bench, he was in excruciating pain and had a very pained expression on his face.
He covered his face with his hands as if he couldn’t bear it.
If the injury is serious, Son could be out for a long time to recover.
Unfortunately, Spurs have a tough schedule ahead of them, as they face Newcastle in the 16th round of the league on November 11th.
With only two to three days of rest, the team is concerned about Son’s recovery.
According to a football fantasy scout, Son could miss the match against Newcastle.
Tottenham manager Anze Postecoglou said, “I don’t know yet. I don’t have anything definite.”
But even more painful than the injury was the way Spurs came from behind.
Team captain Son Heung-min also expressed his disappointment after the game. “
It’s unacceptable to lose this game,” he said, according to the UK’s The Standard.
We were ahead in the game for the last five games.
West Ham is a difficult team to play against, but we were complacent.
In the Premier League, you never know what can happen, so you have to do well.”
“The players have to take responsibility,” he said.
“Tottenham fans don’t deserve this result, especially at home, we need to play with more energy,” Son added, “It’s a disappointing result for the fans.
We have to move forward and make up for it.”
Considering Spurs had 23 total shots on goal, the number of chances on goal was far too few. “
Son was strangely ineffective considering how much Spurs dominated the game,” said 90MIN, a British soccer publication.
Son’s passing success rate was 79%.
However, Son Heung-min helped the team in many ways, including three tackles and two key passes.
European soccer statistical outlets gave him a favorable rating.
Huscore.com gave Son a rating of 7.00.
Another statistical site, Sofascore, gave him a rating of 7.8 and Footmob a rating of 7.2.
On the day, Tottenham went with a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Son Heung-min started up top.
Giovani Rosselso, Brennan Johnson, and Dejan Kuluczewski supported the attack from the second line.
Pierre Hojbjerg and Yves Bissouma coordinated the midfield.
The backline was, from left, Destiny Udoji, Ben Davies, Christian Romero, and Pedro Foro.
Guglielmo Vicario was in goal.
Of the Tottenham players, center back Romero had the highest rating.
After serving a three-match suspension for a direct red card, he returned to the team and defended like a man possessed.
He also scored the opening goal in the 11th minute.
HootScore.com gave him a 7.9 rating, FootMob an 8.5, and SofaScore an 8.4. In addition to his goal, Romero had two tackles, two fumbles, and one interception. 토토
He also won three aerial battles, but was unable to smile in his team’s defeat.
Once again, Tottenham couldn’t protect their lead after scoring first.
They took the lead with a goal from defender Romero, but their defensive concentration faltered.
They conceded a goal to West Ham ace Jarrod Bowen in the seventh minute of the second half, and then conceded a late goal to opposing midfielder James Ward-Prowse in the 29th minute.
The loss extends Spurs’ winless run to five games.
Spurs had scored first in each of their previous five games without a win.
However, they failed to capitalize and dropped points.
According to soccer statistician Opta, Spurs are the first team in EPL history to score first in five consecutive games and not win.
Spurs also became the first team in Premier League history to lose three home games after scoring first.
The loss to West Ham was Spurs’ first three-game home losing streak in 15 years, dating back to 2008.
It’s also a red flag in the title race. Spurs currently sit in fifth place.
Fourth-place Manchester City (9W, 3D, L – 30 points) also lost to Aston Villa in the same round, so the gap between the two teams didn’t widen.
However, sixth-place United is closing in on them. It could cost them the position.
United have won four and lost one of their last five games.
The team’s mood took a sharp downturn last month after a devastating 1-4 loss to “rivals” Chelsea.
The Blues also suffered injuries to starters Mickey Vanderven and James Maddison.
In round 12, the team conceded two goals in stoppage time to lose 1-2 at Wolverhampton and also lost 1-2 at Aston Villa.
In round 14, they seemed to rebound with a 3-3 draw against Man City, but another loss to West Ham sent them into crisis mode.
Tottenham won eight and drew two of their opening 10 games this season.
They were top of the league and strong favorites to win the title.
There was even a lot of optimism that they could lift a trophy for the first time since winning the League Cup in 2008.
