Son scores another as Spurs crush Everton in 5-0 win

Football

Published: 08 Mar. 2022, 08:29

Son scores another as Spurs crush Everton in 5-0 win

Tottenham's Son Heung-min, center, scores his team's second goal against Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

Son Heung-min picked up his 11th goal of the 2021-22 season on Monday as Tottenham Hotspur took a resounding 5-0 win over Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Son was the first Spurs player on the board, scoring the team's second goal in the 17th minute following an early own goal from Everton's Michael Keane.

With Everton on the back foot following Keane's 14th-minute mistake, Son cut through the defense to pick up a pass from Dejan Kulusevski and fire it into the back of the net.

Harry Kane made it 3-0 in the 37th minute, with Sergio Reguilón adding No. 4 less then a minute after coming on as a substitute at the top of the second half. Kane scored the fifth and final goal less than 10 minutes later, and Spurs seemed content to sit back on their five-goal cushion for the remaining 30 minutes of the match.

Son Heung-min, right, celebrates after scoring against Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Monday. [EPA/YONHAP]

The 5-0 win continues Spurs' bizarrely up-and-down season. The London club has scored nine goals in their last two Premier League games, last beating Leeds 4-0 on Feb. 26. They also beat the league topping Manchester City just a couple of weeks ago, evidence that suggests manager Antonio Conte is turning the club around.

But interspersed with those wins are embarrassing losses to Burnley and Middlesbrough, and before that a disappointing spell that saw Spurs drop games to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton and Chelsea.

The two most recent wins put the club solidly back in seventh place and realistically on par with sixth with two games in hand, and within three points of Arsenal and Manchester United at fourth and fifth.

If those wins are a sign that Conte's plan is back on track, Spurs could still be in the running for some sort of European football next year. If the rollercoaster ride continues, however, sixth or seventh place might be the best the club can hope for.

Son has now scored in two consecutive Spurs games, leading the club in terms of goals scored. He sits fourth in the league, behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota.

"[It was] a good game, also a good answer after the last defeat," Conte said after the game on Monday. "It wasn't an easy game because Everton are fighting. They have a really good squad with good players.

"Tonight we played a really good game. We moved the ball very well. We attacked the space at the right time. I'm pleased for my players. The hard work we are doing is starting to pay. This team is improving a lot. We have a lot of space to continue to improve."

Tottenham now have a few days to prepare for an important fixture this weekend, when they take on fifth-place Manchester United at Old Trafford in Manchester.

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