Led by a goal and an assist from captain Son Heung-min, 31, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Fulham to take the lead at the top of the English Premier League (EPL).
Tottenham won 2-0 at home against Fulham in the ninth round of the 2023-24 EPL on Thursday
(Sept. 24) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Spurs, unbeaten in their opening nine matches (7 wins, 2 draws), have moved to the top of the
table with 23 points, ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal (both on 21 points). Fulham is 13th (11 points).
Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou
Became the first manager to accumulate 23 points in his first nine EPL games. He surpassed the
previous record of 22 points in nine games set by former Chelsea manager Gus Hiddink and
former Norwich City manager Mike Walker.
Up front, Son Heung-min was the star of the show with a goal and an assist, including the
game-winner. Son is on fire in the league this season with seven goals and one assist.
After being named the EPL’s September Player of the Month, Son continued his goal-scoring
streak upon his return from the A-League in October. With his seventh league goal, Heung-min
is tied for second in the league with Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), behind only Elling Holland (9 goals-Manchester City).
Son was also named Man of the Match after the game. He was named Man of the Match
(MOM), the match’s equivalent of MVP, after receiving 59% of the total votes cast in a fan poll on
the EPL website, out of 38,608 votes cast.
This is the third time Son has been named Man of the Match this season, following his
performances against Burnley in Round 4 and Liverpool in Round 7.
Son took advantage of the opportunity just two minutes after kickoff. James Maddison’s pass
gave the South Korean a one-on-one opportunity, but he was denied by goalkeeper Bert Leno.
Tottenham
Had a chance in the seventh minute off a set piece, but defender Micky Van der Penne’s shot went over the bar.
Spurs continued to press forward, and in the 12th minute, Fulham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario
threw himself to save a crucial header from Juan Palinha.
Tottenham took the lead and continued to push forward. In the 30th minute, following a quick
counter-attack, Hischalisson shot just wide of the post, and a minute later, Son Heung-min fired a left-footed effort wide.
Son continued to find the back of the net, scoring his seventh goal of the league in the 36th minute.
Spurs pressed forward to break up the opposition’s passes, and soon afterward, Son received a
pass from Heung-min, who beat the defense before curling a right-footed shot from the front of
the arc that rattled the net. With his seventh goal in the EPL, Son moved into second place on
the all-time goalscoring list behind Holland.
It was also the 110th goal of his EPL career. He moved past Ryan Giggs and into a tie with Emil
Heskey for 26th place on the EPL’s all-time goals list.
Fulham made two substitutions to start the second half.
Tottenham added another goal nine minutes into the second half through the Son-Heung-min-
Madison combination. Similar to the first goal, the team pressed forward to win the ball, and
when Son got the ball, he didn’t get greedy and played a perfect pass to Maddison. Madison
capitalized on the one-on-one opportunity and found the back of the net. Son’s first assist of the season.
Tottenham continued to stabilize the game with a series of substitutions, including Emerson Royal and Oliver Skip.
Son had a header off a set piece in the 26th minute, but it went wide of the post. Spurs missed a
golden opportunity four minutes later when Maddison and Son tangled in the box.
Confident of victory, manager Enze Postecoglou took off Heung-min Son, Heung-min Son, and
Maddison in the 36th minute for Brennan Johnson, Alejo Velis, and Giovani Rosselso.
Son Heung-min
Who had wanted to play full-time, made his way to the bench to a standing ovation from the
home fans, albeit with a somewhat disappointed look on his face.
Spurs defended their two-goal lead well, with goalkeeper Vicario making a crucial save from
Raul Jimenez in the 39th minute to secure a valuable three points at Anfield. 카지노사이트존