SON, '110 PL goals' at the feet of Ronaldo, Drogba, and Giggs, in hot pursuit of Sterling, Gerrard, and Lukaku

 

SON, '110 PL goals' at the feet of Ronaldo, Drogba, and Giggs, in hot pursuit of Sterling, Gerrard, and Lukaku

Tottenham Hotspur's return to first place was led by 'Captain' Son Heung-min.

Tottenham won 2-0 with Son Heung-min's 1 goal and 1 assist in the London derby against Fulham FC in the 9th round of the 2023-24 English Premier League (PL) held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the morning of the 24th (Korean time).

Tottenham, who recorded three consecutive league wins, succeeded in reclaiming first place from Manchester City (21 points) with 23 points. Since the opening, the team is undefeated in 9 games (7 wins, 2 draws), so things are going well. What's interesting is that their Northern rival Arsenal (21 points) is also an undefeated team with 6 wins and 3 draws. The two teams met in the 6th round and drew 2-2.

At that time, Tottenham went on an away trip to the Emirates Stadium, and Son Heung-min became a hero who saved the team from defeat by scoring two goals, including an equalizer for each goal conceded.

This time too, Son Heung-min led the way to victory. Son Heung-min, who played as a front-line striker and was supported by Richarlison, James Maddison and Dejan Klusevski in the attack's second line, received the ball cut by central defender Mickey van der Penn in the 36th minute, and Richarlison immediately passed it to two defenders. He beat the and hit the net with a right foot kick.

The intelligence in the shooting attempt scene was amazing. The moment Richarlison connected the pass, two defenders came from the left and right. When Calvin Barsay and Anthony Robinson tried to block each other, they instead turned the ball to the side. Bassey and Robinson tangled together, creating more space, and Son Heung-min scored his 7th league goal with a right-footed kick.

In the 9th minute of the second half, the defense was caught off guard again. This time, possession was consolidated through forward pressure. As Son Heung-min approached goalkeeper Bernd Leno, he turned the ball to the side. However, Hojbjerg cut the ball toward the front and, exquisitely, came in front of Son Heung-min, who was between two defenders.

This was the usual shooting angle for Son Heung-min. Leno also took action to prepare for Son Heung-min's shot. Then Son Heung-min saw Maddison running from the left and pushed him aside. Fulham central defender Tim Lim, who was nearby, saw the ball passing by in a daze, and goalkeeper Leno was so surprised that he tried to run out but stopped in an awkward manner. The ball had already hit the net. Son Heung-min and Madison's dart ceremony was a bonus.

Son Heung-min, who recorded 1 goal and 1 assist, enjoyed the pleasure of being selected as the Man of the Match for the third time following the games against Burnley and Liverpool, where he scored a hat trick. This was especially true in the sense that no player showed more ability than Son Heung-min in creating opportunities and shooting.

Above all, he is on his way to becoming a better player by scoring his 110th PL goal. Son Heung-min already has Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nasr, 103 goals) and Didier Drogba (104 goals) at his feet. The hat trick against Burnley led to his rise to 30th place on the all-time scoring list, leaving behind Ronaldo and Drogba.

This time, Paul Scholes (107 goals), Peter Crouch (108 goals), and Ryan Giggs (109 goals) were placed under him. Scholes, Giggs and Robot Crouch, who were in Manchester United's prime, were relegated to history in front of Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min is tied for 26th place with Emile Heskey.

There is still a long way to go. Right above him is Sadio Mane (Al Nasr, 111 goals). It is possible to even chase Ian Wright's (113 goals) record. There is still Raheem Sterling (Chelsea, 117 goals) who is active, but considering his recent poor sense of goal, a comeback is possible. Even the records of Steven Gerrard (120 goals) and Romelu Lukaku (AS Roma, 121 goals) are accessible.

Among players currently playing in the PL, Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, 142 goals) ranks highest at 14th. If Son Heung-min scores more than 10 goals while completing his contract with Tottenham, which runs until the summer of 2025, he can get close to Jamie Vardy (Leicester City, 136 goals) in 15th place. Leicester City is relegated to the Championship, so Son Heung-min and Salah will continue to set records for the time being.

Of course, Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), who was the symbol of Tottenham, is second on the list with 213 goals, which is overwhelming. Although Son Heung-min is far from being qualified as Tottenham's most PL goalscorer, he can at least enter the top 20 as the best Asian player.

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