Son Heung-min unlucky not to score as Spurs draw 1-1 with West Ham

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min warms up before a match against West Ham at London Stadium in London on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Son Heung-min's goalless run continued Wednesday as Tottenham Hotspur held West Ham to a 1-1 draw at London Stadium in London, but it was bad timing that kept the Korean midfielder off the scoreboard rather than a lack of impact or effort in front of goal.

Son has now failed to score in the first five games of the 2022-23 season, a disappointing start for the 2021-22 Golden Boot winner. But while in summer of the earlier games Son seemed to lack the presence in front of goal that helped him dominate at the end of last season, that was not the case during Wednesday's midweek fixture.

The only reason that Son did not end up with a goal against West Ham was because Hammers defender Thilo Kehrer got there first, knocking the ball into the back of the net before Son had a chance to convert what looked like a sure thing.

The 34th-minute play started with Dejan Kulusevski, who dribbled down the field into the box before picking out Harry Kane, who sent the ball across the face of the goal where Son looked guaranteed to fire it home. Kehrer got there before Son, robbing him of the actual goal but certainly allowing him to walk away with a successful opportunity created.

That missed opportunity may have shaken Son's confidence a little, with his next few opportunities sent wide of the goal. West Ham, meanwhile, rallied for a goal of their own in the 55th minute, with Tomas Soucek taking a single touch before smashing the ball past Hugo Lloris for an emphatic equalizer.

Walking away with a draw is not the result Spurs were looking for — and the lack of a goal will be a big disappointment for Son — but it does mean that Spurs now gone their first five games of the season with a loss — three wins and two draws — for only the third time in the club's history. While the same start in the 2004-05 season saw the club eventually tumble into ninth place, the 2016-17 season ended with Spurs taking second for the first time since the 1962-63 season.

Son won't have to wait long for his next chance to score his first goal of the season, with Spurs set to face Fulham on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, followed by their first game of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League against Sporting Lisbon the following Wednesday at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal.

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