Wolves come out on top as Hwang and Son briefly face off

Football

Published: 14 Feb. 2022, 11:03

Wolves come out on top as Hwang and Son briefly face off

From left: Tottenham Hotspur's Lucas Moura, Son Heung-min and Ben Davies react during a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Hwang Hee-chan returned to the pitch for the first time in almost two months on Sunday, recovering from injury just in time to briefly face off against Korean national team teammate Son Heung-min as Wolverhampton Wanderers took on Tottenham Hotspur in London.

Hwang, who has been out with an injury since Dec. 15, came on as a substitute for Daniel Podence in the 81st minute. Son played the full 90 minutes for Spurs, meaning the two Korean forwards shared the pitch for about 13 minutes including injury time.

But despite the excitement of seeing two of Korea's biggest footballers appear on opposite sides of a Premier League fixture, neither Hwang nor Son actually had much impact on the game. Wolves beat Spurs 2-0, scoring two early goals to steal seventh place on the Premier League table and knock Spurs down to eighth.

An early goal from Raul Jimenez set the tone for the game in the sixth minute, with Leander Dendoncker scoring a second in the 18th minute. Both goals highlighted weaknesses in Spurs' defense, with Jimenez jumping on a third deflection and Dendoncker starting the play by intercepted a poor pass.

Son and the Spurs offense spent the rest of the game scrambling to try and get something on the board, but the Wolves defense and goalkeeper Jose Sa proved unbreakable.

Hwang Hee-chan, center, celebrates after winning a match against Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. [EPA/YONHAP]

By the time Hwang came on the pitch, the game was essentially decided. Spurs had a few unsuccessful last-minute efforts and Hwang's own attempt was ended by a Rodrigo Bentancur foul before the whistle blew, ending the game at 2-0.

Hwang's return to the squad comes at a great time, as Sunday's win marks Wolves' fourth in a row on the road, the club's best away run since 1980. If the Korean forward is able to slot back into the squad with some of the form he showed at the start of the season, Wolves could continue to see good results.

Son, on the other hand, was largely shut down on Sunday by Wolves defender Max Kilman, leading to a disappointing off-day for the Korean star.

Spurs will be back in action on Saturday as they take on league leaders Manchester City. Wolves will then face Leicester City a day later on Monday.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]