A stunning brace from Son Heung-min helped book Tottenham Hotspur’s place in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup as they defeated Preston North End 3-0 at Deepdale on Saturday.
Son scored two wonderful goals with his weaker left foot before debutant Arnaut Danjuma wrapped the tie up from the bench in what was a positive performance from Antonio Conte’s side. Without Harry Kane in the starting lineup someone needed to step up and it was Son who stole the show in the north west.
It has been a tough season for Spurs’ South Korean attacker. From winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot last year the goals have largely dried up for him this term as Spurs have shown a lot of inconsistency in both their performances and consequently it has had a detrimental effect on Son’s personal contributions.
The 30-year-old had to wait until 17 September to open his account in the Premier League this term when he came off the bench to score a quick-fire hat-trick against Leicester City. He has since only netted on one occasion in the top-flight, along with only having provided three assists, which would suggest that his confidence has taken a real knock this year.
READ MORE:
-
Iheanacho comes to Leicester’s rescue: Why he deserves more game time
-
Too tinpot for TV: Why are bosses wasting yet another slot on Man United v Reading?
-
Antonio Conte is the underrated FA Cup specialist that can win Spurs silverware
Against Preston on Saturday evening he was given the opportunity to help him rediscover his spark as Conte entrusted him to lead the attacking line in Kane’s stead. Son looked hungry from the off and he was able to pick up promising positions both centrally and out wide as he caused a lot of problems for the hosts’ three centre-backs.
Spurs were largely dominant in the first half and they were able to create a handful of chances, with Son calling Freddie Woodman into action twice. But other than that they failed to capitalise with all their momentum. You couldn’t help but feel that Kane would have been able to convert where some of his teammates couldn’t had he started the game.
To Preston’s credit, they did offer a strong shape out of possession and they defended as a unit. Their only issue when trying to ignite a rare counter-attack was that strikers Ched Evans and Tom Cannon were often left isolated which allowed the visitors to get back and behind the ball to kill any threat.
Spurs got the breakthrough not long after the break as Son unleashed a sublime curling effort with his left foot from outside the box to leave Woodman without a chance of denying him on that occasion. It was a goal that had been coming for the visitors but it did spark Preston into life and they themselves started to grow into the match.
They had some positive phases of play but at times where they could’ve put a cross into the box they didn’t take it which led to a lot of frustrated groans from the home crowd. After all of Preston’s hard work to stay in the tie, Son scored his second of the night with another deft finish after an exquisite turn to take his marker out the game.
You could see how much the two goals meant to the Spurs forward after a season that hasn’t quite gone to plan on a personal level. Those sentiments were shared by his teammates who came to join him in the celebrations. January signing Danjuma entered the fray soon after and he was able to make it a debut to remember as he swept Dejan Kulusevski’s cross home to add a third for Spurs and wrap up the match late on.
Son’s mesmerising performance will come as a huge boost for Conte because in recent weeks it looked as though Spurs had become too dependent on their star man Kane to deliver the goods. But after a strong all-round display from Son at Deepdale, Kane’s partner in crime might have just reignited his spark, which can only benefit Spurs for the rest of the season as they chase both Champions League qualification and FA Cup glory.
