It took Son Heung-min nine games to get off the mark in 2022-23 but he did so in great fashion as he scored a stunning 13-minute hat-trick to seal an emphatic 6-2 victory for Tottenham Hotspur against the floundering Leicester City.
The South Korean international had 17 shots without a goal in the league before Saturday evening’s match, and after being brought on in the second half, he quickly opened up his account. If ever there was ever a perfect opponent for him to get up and running for the season, it was the Foxes. This excellent display could have a rippling effect on him and the rest of his team moving forward after the international break now that huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
It seemed as though Antonio Conte’s tough love approach worked perfectly. He kept saying that his key attackers weren’t exempt from being dropped to the bench, which he did with Son on Saturday. It certainly spurred the attacker on as he transformed his side in the second half as they added further embarrassment to the struggling Foxes.
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Given how poor the visitors have been at the back for over a year, it came as no surprise to see them deliver another defensive disaster-class in the Premier League. And yes there was another goal conceded from a corner before Son arrived to torment them further. That meant they have conceded 25 from set-pieces since the start of the 2021-22 campaign. This result marked six straight defeats in the top flight for Leicester and it will only further increase the pressure on Brendan Rodgers.
After a relatively flat first half, Conte's team looked much better in possession once he brought on an extra midfielder in Yves Bissouma as well as the hat-trick hero in the second.
UNBELIEVABLE!
It was a fast start in north London. Leicester were awarded an early penalty as the clumsy Davinson Sanchez recklessly brought down James Justin, having made several mistakes in the same passage of play which gave the frail defenders of the East Midlands a run for their money. Youri Tielemans had his initial spot-kick denied by Hugo Lloris, but the goalkeeper was penalised for encroachment and the Belgian put away the second attempt.
Moments later and Spurs were level. A deep inswinging cross from Dejan Kulusevski found Harry Kane unmarked at the back post, and his headed effort found the back of the net via bouncing off Danny Ward. Despite Spurs looking wasteful on the ball, they were able to take the lead. An Ivan Perisic corner from the left was glanced perfectly by Eric Dier to find the far corner of the goal.
Both teams were wasteful in position and were always giving each other opportunities as the defending in the game was sub-par. Leicester were able to level the scoreline through a sensational goal from Maddison. The midfielder struck a beautiful half-volley which curled its way into the far corner to leave Lloris clawing at air.
The second half started with the same intensity as the first. Wilfred Ndidi had his pocket picked by Rodrigo Bentancur and the Uruguayan drove forward and finished past Ward to put Spurs back in front. As the game went on, there was the sense that if ever there was a game for Son to open his account for the season, this was it. And when the South Korean was brought on it didn’t take long for him to get his long-awaited reward as he smashed an effort from the edge of the box into the roof of the net. He then went on to score a further two times to complete an incredible hat-trick, becoming the first player since Steven Naismith against Chelsea for Everton in 2015-16 to do so from the bench.
For Spurs, a troubling start to the afternoon soon became enthralling in the second half and it just proved the quality Conte can bring on from the bench to inject life into games. Their current points tally is 17 from seven, and that is their joint-highest at this stage of a campaign, with the last occasion being 2016-17 when they finished second to Chelsea, led by Conte.
As for Leicester, this could be the end of the road for Rodgers as over the last two Premier League games his side have shipped 11 goals, half of what they have conceded in total. It is really worrying.
