While Son Heung-min (32) tried to manage his condition by playing only 57 minutes in preparation for the Europa League on the 10th, Tottenham secured a complete victory with the multi-goal performance of "Wales speedster" Brennan Johnson (23).
He has not won the last four games (one draw and three losses) and pushed Southampton to the second division relegation zone.
Tottenham defeated Southampton 3-1 in the 31st round of the 2024-2025 English Premier League (EPL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the 7th (Korea Standard Time).
Son Heung-min, who started as a left-side striker, spent 57 minutes on the pitch until he was replaced by Wilson Odobert in the 12th minute of the second half.
He failed to score. However, he contributed to his team's victory by scoring the first goal.
He warmed up in the eighth minute of the first half. After receiving a James Madison penetration pass, he broke through the left side of Southampton and connected to Johnson. Johnson's shot bounced off the defender's body, but his sharp breakthrough also increased tensions at the back of Southampton.
He contributed to scoring the first goal in the 13th minute of the first half. He connected a penetration pass to Jed Spence, who rushed to the deep left side.
Spence attempted a cutback with a ground ball cross. Johnson connected it with a left-footed non-stop shot and stabbed it in the upper right corner of the opponent's goal.
Johnson completed a multi-goal in the 41st minute of the first half. Madison dropped the ball toward the goal with a header in a mixed situation in the penalty box.
Johnson's sense shone. He touched it with his right foot at the gate, only changing the direction. Despite his slow speed, he scored with a shot that caught the goalkeeper off guard.
Son was also active in the second half. He had a good chance to score at the ninth minute of the second half.
Madison controlled a long pass to the front and fired a left-footed shot, but it bounced off the defender's body.
Coach Anji Postecoglou deployed Odover and Papec Sarr at the 12th minute of the second half. He called in Son Heung-min and Rodrigo Bentancourt, the main pillars of offense and defense, to the bench.
Tottenham is set to play the first leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) with Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) four days later on the 10th.
It is believed that Postecoglou, who focused on UEL rather than the league, took out the replacement card early in consideration of the main condition.
Tottenham allowed Matheus Fernandez to score a goal in the 44th minute of the second half. However, he scored a net in the extra time to take a breather.
Johnson won a penalty kick (PK). He tried to complete the hat trick by completing the PK he got by himself, but it failed. Matisse Tell took the kicker and widened the gap to two. 스포츠토토
The London Evening Standard gave Son a rating of 6. "He has shown strong counterattacks but has repeatedly blocked his efforts to counter. As part of physical fitness management considering his UEL schedule, he entered the bench before the 60th minute mark."
Johnson, who scored multiple goals, was given eight points, the highest in the team, along with the main goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Ahead of the first leg of the UEL quarterfinals against Frankfurt, a "tidal enemy" on the 10th, he showed off his brilliant sense of goal, drawing favorable reviews for putting Coach Postecoglou in a dilemma.
"Both goals were outstanding. Due to Johnson's sudden rise, Postecoglou will have difficulty forming a starting lineup for the match against Frank Fruit," he said, signaling fierce competition between Son Heung-min and Dominic Solanke. Currently, a three-way race between Tel, Odover and Johnson is expected.