Sonny scoreless, Tottenham ties with Fulham 1-1

Son Heung-min, the South Korean winger of Tottenham Hotspur, had to wait another game to net his 13th goal in regular season. On Thursday match against Fulham F.C. at Hotspur Stadium, the South Korean had three close chances to find the net but missed them by a whisker. In the 25th minute, the Hotspurs began to lead the game thanks to an opener by Harry Kane, but the hosts eventually allowed an equalizing goal in the 29th minute of the second half to be tied 1-1 at the end. Having lost the opportunity to join the leading group by conceding a draw to Fulham, a relative underdog, Tottenham found their rank sinking from fifth to sixth with a record of 8-6-3 (win points at 30).

Son’s signature scoring skills – characterized by his non-stop touch, diving header, and sprinting – failed to work the magic this time owing to the goalie’s superb save and goalposts. In the 18th minute, Son volleyed a cross from Serge Aurier non-stop with his right foot, but his shot hit the leg of Alphonse Areola, the Fulham goalkeeper, whose reflex saved the visiting team.

In the 24th minute, Son collected a cross from Tanguy Ndombele to fire a diving header towards the corner, but it was blocked at the tip of the keeper’s fingers. In the 27th minute of the latter half, the Korean winger galloped down the left side of the penalty box to strike the ball with his left foot, but it bounced back off the goalpost. In fact, his kick was a little off the hit zone, consequently slowing down the ball. A minute before the final whistle, Son provided a crucial assist for Sergio Reguilon, who found the net with ease, but the goal was canceled later on as Son was called offside.

Jose Mourinho, the Tottenham manager, expressed his frustration with the result, citing “impossible saves” by the goalkeeper. Skysports and other sports channels gave Son an unusually low score, saying he wasn’t the Son we knew in front of the goal.


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com