Tottenham beat Norwich 5-0 to secure Champions League spot

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring the club's fifth goal in a match against Norwich City at Carrow Road in Norwich, England on Sunday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Tottenham Hotspur finished the 2021-22 season in style on Sunday, beating Norwich City 5-0 on the road to secure fourth place and a ticket to the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League.

Spurs capped off a dominant month with one last big win to edge out Arsenal by two points and lock in fourth place and the last Premier League berth at the Champions League.

Dejan Kulusevski opened the scoring for the visitors in the 16th minute after connecting with Rodrigo Bentancur for a very tidy goal that quickly set the tone for the rest of the match.

Sprinting out in front of the defense to pick up a long through pass, Bentancur moved into the box and then knocked the ball back to Kulusevski, who slotted it between a defender and Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul to take the score to 1-0.

Tottenham's onslaught continued 15 minutes later with Bentancur once again providing the assist. Capitalizing on a poorly placed kick from Krul, the Uruguayan midfielder took one touch to cross the ball back into the box where a diving header from Harry Kane redirected it past the one Norwich defender left on the line.

Norwich had a few attempts throughout the first half but were able to get a shot on goal, while Spurs continued to threaten Krul but had to settle for a 2-0 lead going into half time.

The game settled down for a little while after the break, with Spurs renewing their offensive but failing to get anything across for nearly 20 minutes after play resumed.

That respite didn't last for long, however, with Kulusevski coming through with his second and Spurs' third goal in the 64th minute. Picking up a through ball from Kane to the right of the box, Kulusevski beat the defender before sending a left-footed volley over Krul's outstretched hands and in to the top left corner of the goal.

Son's chance came next. The Korean international, who entered the game just one goal behind Liverpool's Mo Salah in the Premier League Golden Boot race, had been knocking on the door all game, saw his opportunity in the 70th minute.

Kane slotted the ball through to Lucas Moura on the edge of the box, with the Brazilian international pulling off a clever round-the-corner flick to set up Son in front of the goal. A simple knock from Son, and the ball was past Krul and in the back of the net once again.

That goal pulled Son level with Salah in the Golden Boot race with 20 minutes still left to play. But now willing to sit back on his laurels, Son struck again just five minutes later with a phenomenal shot from outside a crowded box to round off Tottenham's win.

The play started with a Lucas free kick into the box that was headed back by a Norwich defender, narrowly beating Kane to the ball. Son, who had been waiting at the back of the pack, ran after the ball, taking one touch to bring it down and another to beat the defender before hammering a right-footed volley from outside the box, past eight Norwich players and goalkeeper Krul and into the back of the box.

That goal proved crucial for Son's personal campaign — nine minutes later and 180 miles away in Liverpool, Salah scored a goal against Wolverhampton to take his season total to 23 goals and tie with Son for top scorer, ensuring they shared the Golden Boot.

With the win, Tottenham held on to fourth place in the Premier League, two points ahead of Arsenal, who beat Everton 5-1 at Emirates Stadium in London. With only the top four teams in the league qualifying for the Champions League, Arsenal fall out of contention for the fifth straight season.

For Tottenham the return to the top four offers a shot at redemption.

After four straight years in the Champions League, Tottenham dropped down to sixth place in the 2019-20 season and then slipped all the way to seventh last year. The club has been through a rocky period with a number of managerial changes, and a Champions League spot at the end of this season proves that the Antonio Conte approach is actually starting to pay off for the London club.

Manchester City topped the table with 93 points, beating Liverpool by just one point after both teams won their final games of the season. City's success shut down Liverpool's bid to be the first team ever to win the quadruple — the regular treble of the European Cup, league title and domestic cup with the Carabao Cup added to the mix — although the club could still go three-for-three on cups, with the Champions League final against Real Madrid to be played next week.

Chelsea finished in third place with 74 points, with Tottenham following on 71 points and Arsenal on 69 points.

Arsenal earn a spot in the Europa League alongside sixth-place Manchester United, while seventh-place West Ham get a ticket to the Europa Conference League.

At the other end of the table, Norwich City, Watford and Burnley are all relegated to the Championship. Fulham and Bournemouth will both be promoted to the Premier League next season, with Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest to face each other in a playoff for the final spot next week.

There is now a three month break before the 2022-23 Premier League season starts on Aug. 6, the early start date scheduled to allow for a World Cup break in the winter. In the meantime, clubs will continue to play friendlies and exhibition games which, for Spurs, includes a trip to Korea in July.

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