Son Heung-min was visibly disappointed at being brought off in the north London derby with Tottenham 3-0 up against Arsenal as he chases Mohamed Salah for the Premier League Golden Boot. Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville remarked how Son was “really upset” and joked: “Mo Salah is just relaxing now at home!”
Son scored Spurs’ third of the game early into the second half which moved him just one goal behind Liverpool winger Salah in the Golden Boot battle. The South Korean is on 21 top-flight strikes for the season and earlier in the match also won a penalty for Harry Kane’s opening goal against Arsenal.
But when substituted off by Antonio Conte with 18 minutes to go at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the in-form Son – who has nine goals in his last seven league matches – could not hide his frustrations as he trudged off the field. He wore a visibly sad look while walking off and was similarly disappointed while sat on the Spurs bench.
Conte approached Son at the end of the match seemingly to apologise for withdrawing him from the action, and the attacker smiled in response. Regardless of whether he ends the division’s top scorer, this is the player’s best ever goalscoring season. His previous best was 17 league goals last season but he’s now on 21 with nine assists in 32 appearances this term.
Son will hope to catch Salah in the final two matches with top-four chasing Spurs facing winnable matches against Burnley and Norwich, while Liverpool face Southampton and Wolves. He has the chance to at least temporarily overtake the Egyptian this weekend.
That is because Liverpool face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday night and do not play again in the league until next Tuesday, while Spurs are in action at home to relegation-battling Burnley on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal meanwhile struggled to live with Son’s energy throughout the derby and he was key to Rob Holding’s first-half red card, with the defender booked for an elbow on the attacker. Neville reacted: “It’s madness from Holding. He’s been erractic, he’s lacked composure, and he’s off. Son played Holding like a little boy.”
Spurs’ 3-0 victory means they are just one point behind Arsenal with two games to go of the season. The Gunners sit fourth still but face two tricky opponents in Newcastle and Everton in their last two matches.
Arsenal knew victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have made sure of a top-four spot, but Spurs’ Champions League hopes remain very much alive thanks to Kane’s brace and Son’s strike. Conte’s charges have the benefit of a significantly superior goal difference in case the two teams finish level on points.
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