It was an unexpected answer to Son Heung-min.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Anji Postecoglou did not seem to mind Son’s vacant seat. “We suffered an unbelievable upset loss in an away game against Brighton and Hove Albion, but we don’t miss Son.” He strongly urged the team to renew its commitment, saying, “We didn’t lose because Son Heung-min was absent.”
Tottenham suffered a 2-3 upset in the seventh round of the 2024-2025 Premier League against Brighton at Palmer American Express Stadium in England on the 7th (Korea time). Brennan Johnson and James Maddison, who have recently been in good condition, scored consecutive goals to lead 2-0 and put three consecutive Premier League wins in front of them, but it collapsed when they gave up three runs in the 18th minute of the second half.
Tottenham fell from 8th place to 9th place. It tried to pave the way for a leap to the top but failed.
He got off to a good start. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Brennan Johnson scored six consecutive goals in recent official matches and three consecutive Premier League matches thanks to striker Dominique Solanke. Madison scored an additional goal in the 37th minute of the first half to secure a 2-0 win. He seemed to have beat Brighton, which has been in a good mood lately.
Things turned upside down in the second half. Brighton started the chase with a goal from Yankuba Mintae in the third minute of the second half, and Jorginho Rutter scored a 2-2 equalizer to assist Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma in the 13th minute of the second half. Danny Welbeck, who used to play for Arsenal, scored a goal against Tottenham for the first time in 10 years. As Tottenham’s defense failed to block Rutter’s persistent penetration from the right, it allowed a cross and ultimately gave up the game.
The defeat sent Tottenham down to ninth place in the league. Their winning streak ended in five games. Even though they scored two or more goals, Tottenham suffered its 10th come-from-behind loss in the Premier League. It was the first time in the league. It became a day when they even posted a disgraceful record.
Son’s leadership was criticized for being disappointed. Tottenham ended Son’s absence by scoring two goals, but critics say he lost in the second half in a short period of time due to lack of a leader. Postecoglou stressed that Son’s absence does not matter. Son has been absent for three matches since collapsing due to injury in the UEFA Europa League match against Garabakh (Azerbaijan) on April 27.
In an interview with Sky Sports of the U.K., the broadcasting authority, Postecoglou said, “It is a disappointing match. I am obviously frustrated and angry. It is the worst defeat I have ever had since I came to Tottenham. The second half was unacceptable,” adding, “We did not come close to anything we should have done. We have thrown away what we have done so far.”
“We have to accept our fate, but it’s hard to understand what I didn’t do during my time here. I think the biggest problem is that I paid a price and I’m moving too leisurely. I didn’t do what I needed to sell at this level. It wasn’t combative, I didn’t win the competition. I lacked strength,” he said, pointing out that the overall performance of the team was below par.
Still, he clearly drew a line on Son’s absence. When a reporter asked if he missed the match, Postecoglou sighed, saying, “No. It’s totally unrelated. It’s completely zero.”
“If I had missed them, I would not have played like the first half or the last few games. It has nothing to do with Son Heung-min,” he said. “We have the level of fighting power we need in every competition. We paid because we couldn’t do that for 45 minutes in the second half,” he said, pointing out that the players’ lack of fighting spirit was more fatal than Son’s absence.
In the three matches without Son, Tottenham scored a total of seven goals. Excluding the away match of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League against Hungary (Hungary), three goals against Manchester United and two goals against Brighton are not small goals. Young strikers, led by Coach Postecoglou, were able to achieve some effect. Johnson faced a serious crisis due to criticism from fans by closing SNS in the middle of last month, but since then, he has scored in six consecutive matches.
However, he was not very active defensively in the match against Brighton. He lacked fighting spirit in situations wherein he was in competition. Son was able to balance the team and respond calmly to the opponent team’s aggressive attacks, but he seemed to have a hard time blocking the rival team’s defense from Christian Lome, who instead wore the captain’s armband. However, Postecoglou requested players to wake up individually rather than leaving Son behind.
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min will remain in London for the A-match in October to undergo rehabilitation and seek to return after the A-match break. Tottenham will play West Ham United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London at 8:30 p.m. on the 19th. The British media Evening Standard predicted Son Heung-min will return from the match. 메이저사이트
