EPL round 26 0-1 loss, 45 points, 5th place Newcastle could not widen the distance, still 4 points ahead of 4th place
Tottenham, busy on the way, suffered a shock defeat to Wolverhampton in the relegation zone. Son Heung-min, who returned as a league starter after three games, was humiliated with the lowest rating.
Tottenham lost 0-1 to Wolverhampton in the 26th round home game of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-23 season held at Moline Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on the 5th (Korean time). Son Heung-min, who had been replaced in two consecutive games earlier, was more active than before while digesting full-time that day. He made several impressive scenes, such as hitting the goal post with a shot, but was unable to create an attacking point in the end.
Son Heung-min has only 5 goals and 3 assists in the league this season. If you add the European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League (UCL, 2 goals) and England Football Association (FA) Cup records, it is 9 goals and 3 assists in the official match.
Tottenham won two consecutive league matches against West Ham and Chelsea, where Son Heung-min replaced them, but lost in the match that featured him again as a starter. Wolverhampton’s national team striker Hwang Hee-chan missed five consecutive games due to a hamstring (muscle behind the thigh) injury.
Tottenham remained in 4th place (45 points), and Wolverhampton, who desperately tried to accumulate points to avoid relegation, also remained in 13th place (27 points).
Tottenham played a dominant game, but the scoring opportunity was destroyed by a series of saves by opposing goalkeeper Jose Sa. In the 19th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min passed a pass from the center to the right, and Harry Kane’s left-footed kick shot was blocked by four. In the 41st minute of the first half, Son Heung-min’s free kick led to Ivan Perisic’s diving header shot, but it was caught again this time. Son Heung-min’s determination was also disappointing.
In the 44th minute of the first half, in a counterattack situation, Son Heung-min’s right-footed shot from the left side of the goal area past two defenders cut through the air. In the 2nd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min’s left-footed shot from the left side of the goal hit the crossbar and swallowed up the disappointment.
Wolverhampton, who had blocked Tottenham’s offensive well, scored a valuable 3 points with Adama Traore’s winning goal in the 37th minute of the second half. Tottenham led 21-8 in the number of shots that day, but did not show a big difference in effective shots at 6-5.
The football statistics site ‘Foot Mob’ gave Son Heung-min the lowest score of 6.3 among Tottenham’s selections. Wingback Ivan Perisic, who forms the left line of Tottenham along with Son Heung-min, scored the same 6.3 points as Son Heung-min, and all other players received higher ratings than them. ‘Whoscored.com’ gave Son Heung-min a passable rating of 6.6, the 6th lowest.
Reporter Choi Byeong-gyu
