ESNY

Things are looking up for the North London club, and Tottenham Hotspur have Heung-Min Son to thank for it.

By Bryan Pol

Over the last three Premier League matches, Tottenham Hotspur sorely missed their best playmaking option in Christian Eriksen, out nursing a nagging knee injury.

Despite a 1-0 win last Sunday against Sunderland, Spurs, who preceded last week’s victory with three straight draws, one of them of the scoreless variety, looked stagnant on the attack, more so without Eriksen’s vision and penchant for creating the big play.

Then along came Korean star Heung-Min Son, formerly of Bayer Leverkusen, for whom Son scored 17 goals across all competitions in leading his club to Champions League in 2015-2016.

This past Thursday, Son scored a brace against Qarabag in leading Spurs to a 3-1 victory in Europa League group play, his first match at White Hart Lane since Tottenham acquired him on August 28, days before the close of the transfer window.  Based on the performance, manager Mauricio Pochettino expected him to instantly become a fan favorite at the Lane.

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As it turns out, Thursday’s performance was a mere appetizer for what Son would accomplish on Sunday against eighth-place Crystal Palace, also at White Hart Lane.

Near the 68th minute of Sunday’s match, Christian Eriksen entered with Spurs drawing Crystal Palace at 0-0, and delivered a beautiful ball to Son, who took it in all himself for his first Premier League goal and eventual game winner.

With tremendous outings from Erik Lamela, who left the pitch to a standing ovation after being replaced by Tom Carroll, and Dele Alli, Spurs, still awaiting Harry Kane’s first Premier League goal, looked sharp and resilient on the attack, with Kyle Walker providing blistering runs to provide his club with pace and Kane knocking on the door several times.

The victory ties Tottenham, who have mustered nine points in six matches, with Crystal Palace, whom they equal in goal differential, and despite being knotted in 9th place on the table (Palace holds an edge in goals scored at 8 to 5), Spurs will look to build on the confidence of today’s complete effort from their top eleven.

This upcoming Wednesday, Spurs will begin their domestic cup season with a Capital One Cup matchup against North London rival Arsenal, and look to pick up where West Ham last left off (they bested formerly unbeaten Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday) when they take on the Sky Blues at Etihad next Saturday.

With recently acquired Clinton N’Jie, who came on for Son in the 79th minute of Sunday’s 1-0 win, Tottenham’s second consecutive in the Premier League, Dele Alli, and Heung-Min Son in support of mainstays Eriksen, Kane, and Lamela, Spurs will look to continue their winnings ways and provide hope, yet again, for a potential top-four finish, especially with the promise of what the club can offer on the attack when all players are healthy.

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I am an English teacher, music and film aficionado, husband, father of two delightful boys, writer, sports fanatic, former Long Islander, and follower of Christ. Based on my Long Island upbringing, I was groomed as a Yankees, Giants, Rangers, and Knicks fan, and picked up Duke basketball, Notre Dame football, and Tottenham Hotspur football fandom along the way.