Premier League: Son shines for Spurs as Pardew criticises Zaha
WHITE HART LANE
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 CRYSTAL PALACE 0
TOTTENHAM boss Mauricio Pochettino insists new signing Son Heung-min has the potential to write his name into White Hart Lane folklore after a match-winning performance against Crystal Palace yesterday.
The South Korean international continued to make a favourable impression following a £22m summer move from Bayer Leverkusen by netting his first Premier League strike, making it three goals in two matches after last week’s Europa League double.
Victory ensured back-to-back league wins for Spurs and their first at home this season, lifting Pochettino’s side to ninth in the table after a stuttering start to the campaign.
“The crowd has another hero maybe,” Pochettino said of Son. “His performance was fantastic and the energy he showed was amazing.
“Son is a player we followed for a long time. He has a profile that I like. He is a player that can play with Harry [Kane] as a No9, all the different forward positions. Every time a club signs a player the expectation is big but we are very pleased with him. He’s settled in well. He is a friendly boy and humble and brought very good Korean food to the training ground.”
Palace have not won at White Hart Lane since 1997 but were inches from opening the scoring shortly before the break when France’s Yohan Cabaye thundered an effort against the post.
The hosts were also indebted to a pivotal one-handed save from Hugo Lloris shortly before the hour mark when he tipped a ferocious Bakary Sako shot onto the woodwork.
The decisive moment came in the 68th minute when substitute Christian Eriksen released Son, who in turn outwitted Brede Hangeland to fire through the legs of Alex McCarthy.
Palace boss Alan Pardew laid into Wilfried Zaha after hauling off the forward at half-time for the second time this season. “It is about concentration and having that same desire to defend, to attack, everything that top players produce,” he said. “Unfortunately I didn’t think he produced that.”