코리아타임스

With two helpers in his latest match, Son Heung-min has become Tottenham Hotspur's all-time leader in assists in Premier League play.

Son scored a goal and set up two others in Tottenham's 5-0 rout of Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England, on Sunday (local time).

The captain of Spurs scored the 2-0 goal in the 12th minute and then assisted Pape Sarr's goal in the 25th minute that put Tottenham up 4-0.

Son then had his second assist of the match on James Maddison's goal during the first-half stoppage time.

Those two dimes gave Son 68 for his career in Premier League action, sending him past Darren Anderton, who played for Spurs from 1992 to 2004, to the top of Tottenham's all-time list.

Tottenham scored all five of their goals in the first half, and Son, despite being subbed out at the start of the second half, was named the Man of the Match in online fan voting.

Tottenham improved to 23 points with this victory, which also snapped their five-match winless skid in all competitions — a draw and two losses in the Premier League, and two draws and a loss in the UEFA Europa League.

In an interview posted on Tottenham's website, Son said the club had been in "a tough moment" and he credited his teammates for stepping up.

"I am very, very pleased to have these teammates around me. Everybody played really good parts," Son said. "To get a result like this is very, very helpful. We deserve to celebrate this victory but I think we have to prepare so well for the next game."

Son said he was "very proud" of his latest accomplishment but added he wants to keep pushing for an elusive trophy for Tottenham.

"I am still hungry. I always want to improve," he said. "It's not important to talk about individual stuff. I am very proud, of course, but I think everyone has to work for one aim. The club and the fans deserve it, and we're working on it."

Southampton remained in last place with five points and fired their head coach Russell Martin after the loss.

After Maddison put Spurs on the board 37 seconds in, Son doubled the visitors' lead with a left-footed shot from the center of the box after a cross had gone off the body of a Southampton player.

Son found Sarr for his first assist of the match, and then earned his second assist when Maddison received a through ball from the skipper and scored from a tough angle. (Yonhap)

Tottenham Hotspur will remain without captain Son Heung-min for their League Cup fourth-round tie at home to Manchester City on Wednesday.

Son returned after a three-match absence due to a hamstring injury to score against West Ham earlier this month, but then reported "soreness" after the October 19 win and has missed subsequent matches with AZ Alkmaar and Crystal Palace.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said Tuesday the Korea star will miss the visit of City but should return for the Premier League match with Aston Villa on Sunday.

"Sonny, no. Well he is almost fit but we will probably from our perspective aim him for the weekend," said Postecoglou. "We're quite confident he will be right for the weekend.

"The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment, is Wilson (Odobert). He's had a setback during the week and it seems like it's a serious one, so we're waiting for more information.

"And then from the weekend everyone else is okay and Djed (Spence) is back training."

Mikey Moore, 17, started in Son's place during the 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace, but may drop to the bench against City with Timo Werner and fit-again Richarlison candidates to start up front.

Pep Guardiola has repeatedly stated Man City would not waste energy on the Carabao Cup this season but Postecoglou will expect a certain level of performance from the visitors.

Postecoglou was cautious over whether he would select his strongest side against Premier League champions and eight-time League Cup winners City.

"I think it's fair to say most clubs rotate through the Carabao (League) Cup, but you just have to look at Man City's record in this competition and they are a fantastic football club.

"It's very difficult in this league and in this country to maintain that excellence over the time they have.

"They do that because, irrespective of who they play, there is a level of performance that they continually deliver whether they've rotated the team or not, or whatever the competition."

He added: "Obviously City played on Saturday (against Southampton), so we've got to make sure the players we put out there tomorrow are able to compete physically with what's going to be on the other side of the pitch from us."

Tottenham last won a major trophy back in 2008 but Postecoglou insisted they cannot pick and choose which matches they view as more important in a seven-day week where many fans will place more emphasis on the cup clash with City over the visit of Aston Villa on Sunday.

"I'd hate to think that any supporter of this football club thinks that I try harder in one game than another," said Postecoglou.

"Supporters can feel what they like, on which is the most important game.

But it would be the biggest injustice for me as a manager if I said, 'we're going to try harder tomorrow than we do at the weekend or we did last weekend'." (AFP)

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min scored in his return to Premier League action Saturday.

Son scored his third goal of the season in a 4-1 victory against West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Following a fast break at the hour mark, Son took a pass from Pape Sarr on the left side of the box and scored off his left foot to give Spurs their fourth goal.

About a minute later, Son struck the right post with a right-footed shot. In the 55th minute, Son had a hand in an own goal by Alphonse Areola that gave Spurs a 3-1 lead.

Son had missed the past three Spurs matches, including two in the Premier League, after suffering a hamstring injury during a UEFA Europa League match Sept. 26.

Son was also dropped from the South Korean national team for World Cup qualifying matches against Jordan and Iraq this month. Without their captain, South Korea defeated Jordan 2-0 in Amman on Oct. 10 and then Iraq 3-2 at home five days later.

Spurs improved to 13 points after eight matches, good for sixth place with all five clubs above them scheduled to play their eighth matches later on the weekend. (Yonhap)

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has begun his 10th Premier League campaign with a goalless showing in a draw against newly promoted Leicester City.

A dominant first half yielded just one goal for Spurs at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, on Monday (local time), with Pedro Porro putting the visitors on the board in the 29th minute.

Jamie Vardy equalized for Leicester City in the 57th minute, as wasteful Spurs settled for a point.

They held a 71-29 edge in possession and a 7-3 advantage in shots on target.

Son, who started on the left wing alongside Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson, missed the target with a left-footed shot from outside the box in the 18th minute. And just before the half-hour mark, Son fed the ball to James Maddison, whose cross from outside the box set up Porro's header.

But Vardy, the 2019-2020 Golden Boot winner as the Premier League's top scorer, leveled for the home side with a header in the second half for his ninth career goal against Tottenham.

Son was subbed out for Richarlison during stoppage time.

Leicester City won the 2015-2016 Premier League title in a Cinderella season but suffered relegation to the second-tier English Football League Championship after the 2022-2023 campaign. They won the second division title last season to earn promotion to the big league.

Spurs finished the 2023-2024 season in fifth place, just two points out of the UEFA Champions League spot after starting the campaign with a 10-match undefeated run.

This is Son's 10th season in the top English league and second as the captain of Spurs. He has scored in double figures in each of the past eight seasons, including his Golden Boot-winning campaign in 2021-2022, when he had a career-high 23 goals.

Last season, Son scored 17 goals in 35 matches to lead his club and rank eighth overall in the league. (Yonhap)

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has scored his first Premier League goal in two months.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has scored his first Premier League goal in two months.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou hailed 'world-class' Son Heung-min after the Korea star capped a hectic week by inspiring his club's dramatic 2-1 win against Brighton, Saturday.