The South Korean was the star performer at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium as he set up Harry Kane’s opener before scoring a second half brace to secure all three points for Spurs.
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Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min says he “wants to play in the Champions League” after his side defeated Leicester City 3-1 on Sunday. The South Korean was the star performer at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium as he set up Harry Kane’s opener before scoring a second half brace to secure all three points. The 29-year-old is in superb form this term, having already netted 19 goals and registered 7 assists in 31 Premier League appearances. After being beaten 1-0 to Brighton and being held to a goalless draw by Brentford in the last two games, Antonio Conte’s side desperately needed a victory to get back on track in the top-four race. The result helped Spurs to move to 61 points from 34 games, just two points behind the top-four.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 1, 2022
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It was a pretty convincing win for Spurs as they defended pretty well and created 13 goal-scoring chances and were clinical enough in front of goal. Speaking to BBC Sport after the match Son said: “It is always good to win the game that way, three goals in the Premier League is not easy but it was a fantastic performance from the team and we deserved the win. It is always important to score as early as possible, especially when you’re playing at home. We talked about wanting to score set-pieces and we worked really hard. We practised some situations in training and we are happy to score in that way.
Kane’s opening goal was very crucial for both the team and the individual. Spurs hadn’t registered even a single shot on target in their last two games and their captain Kane hadn’t found the back of the net in five previous games. However, the Englishman netted the opener against the Foxes when he headed home from Son’s inch-perfect corner. It was the 28-year-old’s 17th goal across all competitions this season. Son added “If we’re not scoring goals we are going to struggle and Harry’s goal was really important.”
Despite taking the lead, Conte’s side didn’t look to be in control. Ten minutes into the second half, the Italian tactician introduced Dejan Kulusevski, who surprisingly started on the bench, in place of Lucas Moura. The Sweden international quickly made an impact as he provided the assist for Son to double the lead on the hour-mark. And then, in the 79th minute, Kulusevski cut inside from the right flank and laid the ball to Son, outside the box. The South Korean took one touch, shifted the ball to his left foot and curled the ball into the far top corner. Son is now second in the race for the Premier League golden boot, only behind Mohamed Salah, who has netted 22 times so far.
Son admits winning the award is a “dream” but his priority remains the team and securing a place in the Champions League next season. “It’s not important for me. Scoring goals is really good but you can’t score alone. You need the team,” added the 29-year-old. “If I get the chances then I will try to score. The Golden Boot is always a dream but the team is most important. We want to finish in the Champions League and I want to play in the Champions League.” Arsenal, who defeated West Ham 2-1 later on the day, retained the fourth spot. Meanwhile Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Everton has further tightened the top-four race. with just four match-days remaining. Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, who sit at 3rd, 4th and 5th place respectively, are separated by just five points.
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