Tottenham captain Son Heung-min nets 4th goal of season in loss to Chelsea
By YonhapPublished : Dec. 9, 2024 - 10:22
Son Heung-min's fourth goal of the ongoing Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur was not enough to prevent a loss to Chelsea at home in London.
Son's stoppage-time goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the British capital on Sunday proved to be too little, too late, as Spurs blew a 2-0 lead and fell 4-3.
The goal was Son's fourth of the Premier League and fifth in all competitions. He has a goal from the UEFA Europa League.
The loss extended Tottenham's winless skid to three matches, with one draw and two losses. They are in 11th place with 20 points from six wins, two losses and seven losses. They have recorded just one victory in their past five matches.
This was the 11th time that Spurs lost a Premier League match after leading by at least two goals -- at least four more such defeats than any other club in league history.
Dominic Solanke scored just five minutes in for Tottenham, and Dejan Kulusevski doubled the home team's lead six minutes later.
Jadon Sancho cut the deficit in half for Chelsea in the 17th minute, before Cole Palmer tied things up with a penalty in the 61st minute.
Enzo Fernandez's goal in the 73rd minute put Chelsea up for good, and Palmer scored another penalty in the 84th minute for a two-goal advantage for the visitors.
Son scored an inconsequential goal six minutes into the additional time, though he could have had more in the match.
He missed the top right corner with a right-footed attempt from the left side of the box in the 24th minute. Son had another shot from the left side of the area in a wide-open chance in the 68th minute, only to miss on the far side.
James Maddison found Son in the goalmouth for Tottenham's third goal, but the home team failed to get any closer.
Son told Sky Sports after the match that the result was "very disappointing."
"We conceded very sloppy goals. It feels like we lost because of these small details," he added. "On such a big stage, you need to step up and score in these moments. I feel like I let the team down, and I feel very sorry for the team."
Son said he would rather blame himself for missed scoring opportunities than to talk about the mistakes the rest of the team made.
"We got to stick together in such difficult moments; it's very important, and it's why we need big support," he said. "The players are very young, and they need support more than before and more than we had. The fans were always supporting amazingly, but I think it's time the players also need to step up. We need some big support and big cheering up." (Yonhap)