Son's volley not enough as Spurs lose 2-1 to Arsenal in North London derby
Published: 16 Jan. 2025, 11:31
Updated: 16 Jan. 2025, 17:54
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- PAIK JI-HWAN
- [email protected]
![Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, right, celebrates scoring during the Premier League match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in London on Jan. 15. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/16/f0876dc4-1dc3-4ae4-b961-3d39578fc3f8.jpg)
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, right, celebrates scoring during the Premier League match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in London on Jan. 15. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min fired home a volley from the edge of the area in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the Premier League at Emirates Stadium in London on Wednesday.
Son capitalized on a loose ball from a cross while unmarked on the edge of the penalty box in the 25th minute, giving Spurs the lead.
A Spurs player had the ball in the back of the net again in the 40th minute, but at the wrong end, with Dominic Solanke scoring an own goal from a corner.
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard used his speed four minutes later to drive forward and slot the ball into the net, securing the points for his side.
![Arsenal midfielder Leandro Trossard shoots during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium in London on Jan. 15. [AFP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/16/ab22da4f-9982-4549-9f06-06bc1389e090.jpg)
Arsenal midfielder Leandro Trossard shoots during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium in London on Jan. 15. [AFP/YONHAP]
Arsenal continued their pursuit of league leaders Liverpool, climbing back to second place, while a struggling Spurs slipped to 13th place. Arsenal now have 43 points to Liverpool’s 47, with the London side having played one more game.
“Nowhere near good enough, especially in the first half,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said after the match. “We were too passive. We let Arsenal dictate the game. The second half was a little better, nowhere near good enough. Not acceptable. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with me and how I prepare the players.”
Wednesday’s loss extended Tottenham’s winless streak in the league to five matches, having last secured a 5-0 victory against Southampton on Dec. 16 last year.
Son’s goal in the North London derby was his first league goal since scoring against Southampton, bringing his season tally to eight goals and seven assists across 26 appearances.
Fellow Korean midfielder Yang Min-hyeok, however, failed to make the bench for Wednesday’s fixture again. The 18-year-old joined the club last month from K League 1 team Gangwon FC but has yet to feature or even make the bench for any fixture, including missing a chance to play against fifth-tier Tamworth in the FA Cup last week.
The second half of the 2024-25 season still offers him chances to clock up minutes as Spurs have a fixture-congested schedule ahead, with ongoing participation in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League in addition to Premier League action.
Spurs will play the second leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool next month after their 1-0 win in the first leg. They also have two more league stage matches in the Europa League.
In the FA Cup, Tottenham will face Premier League rivals Aston Villa on Feb. 8 in the fourth round, as they continue their quest to break their trophy drought which has been ongoing since 2008.
Spurs will return to action with a league match against Everton on Sunday, before playing their seventh Europa League match against Hoffenheim on Jan. 23. Spurs sit in ninth place in the 36-team Europa League table as of Thursday. Elevating their position would secure them a direct ticket to the knockout stage, as the top eight teams join the round of 16 without going through playoffs.
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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