While “Captain” Son Heung-min was absent due to a thigh problem, his team, Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League, showed their best performance this season by defeating strong team Manchester United (Manchester United) in the enemy territory.
He won his first two consecutive Premier League games this season, laying the groundwork for a leap from the top ranks.
Tottenham, led by Australian coach Anji Postecoglou, crushed Manchester United 3-0 on the 30th (Korea time) thanks to three strikers scoring relay goals in the sixth round of the 2024-2025 Premier League at Old Trafford in Manchester, England.
However, Son Heung-min was left disappointed as he was excluded from the list due to the injury he suffered in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League main league phase, which was the previous match. It turned out that Son Heung-min, who had been forced to move between striker and left wing due to a string of injuries early this season, did not come to Manchester at all due to a hamstring problem (muscle behind his thigh).
The British media were optimistic about his participation 12 hours before the match against Manchester United, and Tottenham also hinted at starting by putting Son Heung-min on the poster against Manchester United, but it turned out to be a smoke screen.
It is the first time that Son Heung-min was absent due to physical conditions since the 2022-2023 season when he underwent surgery due to an orbital fracture. Son left the ground complaining of thigh pain at the match against Garabakh in the 26th minute of the second half.
Tottenham’s official social media even posted a video showing Son Heung-min training with his teammates, but his name disappeared from the list of games.
Tottenham beat Manchester United without Bruno Fernandes at the end of the first half as the remaining players gathered together to raise concerns over the leak of the attack. With the victory, Tottenham recently won four consecutive official matches, including two league games, one league cup (Carabao Cup) and one Europa League game.
In the Premier League, the team had three wins, one draw and two losses (10 points) to move up two spots to eighth place. With two wins, one draw and three losses (7 points), Manchester United fell to 12th place.
On the day, Tottenham produced a 4-3-3 model. Gugliimo Vicario defended the goal, while Destiny Udogi, Panderpen, Romero and Pedro Porro made up the back four. The midfield was composed of James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski. Timo Werner, Dominique Solanke and Brennan Johnson were listed in the front-line three-top line.
The home team, Manchester United, faced off with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Andre Onana wore goalie gloves. Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez, Matheis the Licht and Nusair Mazraoui formed the back four. Kobe Mainu and Manuel Ugarte are guarding the third line. Marcus Rashford, Fernandez and Alejandro Garnacho were placed at the second line. Joshua Zirczy aimed for Tottenham’s goal at the front line.
Tottenham easily solved the game with Johnson’s first shot in the third minute of the first half. 메이저놀이터
After blocking Rashford’s counterattack from behind the half-line, Panderpen exploded 60 meters on the left side and gave up a cutback pass toward the goal near the goal line. Johnson, who rushed toward the opposite goal post, lightly pushed his left foot with a no-mark chance to shake the home team’s net. Johnson, who had been criticized for his poor goal-making ability in the early days of the season, scored a goal in four consecutive official games.
Tottenham, which had a numerical advantage in the 42nd minute of the first half when Manchester United Fernandez made a rough tackle on Madison and was kicked out with a red card, scored an additional goal early in the second half to secure the victory.
In the second minute of the second half, Johnson’s cross from the right side bounced off the defense, and Kulusevski, who jumped from the gate, sensibly brought his left foot and stabbed it into the corner of the opposite net.
In the 32nd minute of the second half, striker Solanke, who was brought in last summer for a transfer fee of 105 billion won, scored a net goal to celebrate the victory. Pape Sarr slightly turned the corner kick from 18-year-old Swedish midfielder Lucas Beribal to the header, and Solanke slid at the gate and pushed the ball into the corner of the net.
Tottenham players also performed a ceremony for Son, giving a touching impression. Standing next to Solanke, who was showing his joy after scoring a 3-0 goal, Pedro Porro displayed a “click ceremony” as if recalling Son, who was absent.
Tottenham will play Brighton on the road at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 7. If Son plays after recovering from an injury, he will fly directly to Jordan, where the South Korean national soccer team will play away.