Son Heung-min scores FOUR as Tottenham hammer Southampton
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ByEurosport
Updated 20/09/2020 at 18:41 GMT
Premier League, St Mary's Stadium - Southampton 2 (Ings 32', 90' pen.) Tottenham 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', 73', Kane 82')
Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min celebrates with Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane (R) after scoring his and their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur
Image credit: Getty Images
Heung-Min Son scored an amazing four goals as Tottenham secured their first points of the Premier League campaign with an emphatic victory at Southampton.
The South Korean international produced the most clinical of performances, scoring with all four of his shots on target, to take advantage of Southampton's ridiculously high line.
Remarkably, England captain Harry Kane registered all four assists before grabbing a late goal himself.
Kane also had two goals ruled out, but Tottenham had been second-best in a frenetic first half and deservedly fell behind to a fine Danny Ings goal in the 32nd-minute.
Son restored parity in stoppage-time in equally impressive fashion with a goal that proved to be a game-changer for Tottenham.
Dele Alli was once again omitted from Jose Mourinho's squad, but he was hardly missed as Son stole the headlines with a five-star second-half performance. He gave Tottenham the lead two minutes after the restart, but that was just a sign of things to come as he ran riot, grabbing his hat-trick in the 64th-minute and 10 minutes later he scored number four.
Tottenham looked like they would score every time they stepped foot in the opposition final third and Kane finally got the goal his performance warranted in the 82nd-minute with a poacher's finish after Erik Lamela struck the post.
Southampton's defending will raise questions about Ralph Hasenhuttl's tactics, but there can be no questions about the quality of Ings - who has been strongly linked to Spurs - as he dispatched a late penalty after a Matt Doherty handball.
TALKING POINT - Ruthless Spurs expose brittle Saints
Football is a game of two halves, as the old saying goes, and that couldn't have been clearer as Southampton produced a real Jekyll and Hyde performance. The body language of the Tottenham players after they had conceded the opener suggested they were a beaten side, but Son's goal on the stroke of half-time transformed their mood - and the match.
The deadly-duo of Kane and Son produced a master-class after the restart and Southampton were fortunate they didn't end up on the wrong side of a cricket-score. Hasenhuttl has done well to recover from the crushing 9-0 defeat to Leicester in January, but the Saints boss must have feared a similar score-line as Spurs ran rampant.
It has been an excellent few days for Tottenham off the pitch with the acquisition of Sergio Reguilon and Gareth Bale. The latter must be licking his lips at the thought of linking up with this deadly Tottenham front line.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Heung-Min Son (Tottenham)
A textbook striker's performance, forming an almost telepathic understanding with Kane. With every passing transfer window it becomes ever more puzzling why Son is rarely linked with a move away from the club. But this was a performance that will grab the attention of rivals. With the addition of Bale, Mourinho now has an embarrassment of riches in attack.
PLAYER RATINGS
Southampton: McCarthy 5, Walker-Peters 5, Stephens 4, Bednarek 4, Bertrand 5, Romeu 6, Ward-Prowse 6, Armstrong 6, Djenepo 7, Ings 7, Adams 6.. subs: Long N/A, Smallbone 5, Tella 6.
Tottenham: Lloris 6, Doherty 7, Sanchez 6, Dier 6, Davies 6, Winks 6, Hojbjerg 6, Ndombele 7, Moura 7, Kane 9, Son 10.. subs: Lamela 7, Lo Celso 6, Bergwijn N/A.
KEY MOMENTS
32' - GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Tottenham (Ings): This goal is going to count! It's an outstanding finish from Ings, who finishes from a ridiculously tight angle. He runs in between Dier and Sanchez to control Walker-Peters' long ball over the top and slots it past Lloris, who perhaps should do better.
45'+3 - GOAL! Southampton 1-1 Tottenham (Son): Oh how Spurs needed that! Ndombele shows incredible strength and skill to find Kane on the left flank. He releases Son with a first time pass and from a tight angle the South Korea international fires it past McCarthy. An excellent goal.
47' - GOAL! Southampton 1-2 Tottenham (Son): A lovely ball is played into the feet of Kane and Son immediately makes the forward run, receiving the ball from his strike partner and punishing Southampton with a clinical finish. Two shots, two goals from the visitors.
64' - GOAL! Southampton 1-3 Tottenham (Son): It's a hat-trick for Son, and a hat-trick of assists for Kane! The England international lifts a really clever ball over the top and Son is there to finish past McCarthy at his near post.
74' - GOAL! Southampton 1-4 Tottenham (Son): It's number FOUR for Son! An incredible display of ruthlessness. What an outstanding performance. It's the deadly duo once more as Kane plays a glorious pass from the right to release Son and he finishes convincingly.
82' - GOAL! Southampton 1-5 Tottenham (Kane): A poacher's finish, but boy does Kane deserve a goal today. Son is involved again, too, as his whipped ball finds Lamela. He leaves Walker-Peters in his wake, shooting against the post and Kane can't miss the rebound as he slots the ball into an empty net.
90' - GOAL! Southampton 2-5 Tottenham (Ings, pen): Ings slot it down the middle and Southampton have a consolation.
KEY STATS
- Harry Kane is the first player to be directly involved in five goals in a Premier League game (one goal, four assists) since Mo Salah versus Watford in March 2018 (four goals, one assist). It's the second time Kane has done so (also in May 2017 against Leicester).
- Tottenham are the second side that Danny Ings has scored in three consecutive Premier League appearances against, also doing so against Norwich City.
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