SEOUL: Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung Min scored his first Premier League goal in two months, reported Yonhap news agency.
It marked Son's first goal since his return to Spurs following the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in February. His previous goal came on New Year's Eve against Bournemouth.
“I was very, very happy to score my first goal since returning from the Asian Cup,“ Son said afterward. “Seeing the fans celebrate made me even happier.”
Son netted the team's third goal in the 88th minute of their 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday (local time).
Seizing upon a loose ball in the opponent's territory just past the halfway line, Son embarked on a swift dash towards the box and unleashed a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner for his team-leading 13th goal of the campaign.
Son currently sits tied for sixth place in the Premier League's goal-scoring race, trailing the leader, Erling Haaland of Manchester City, by four goals.
Admitting he was “a little bit tired” when he embarked on his solo run, Son said, “I tried to stay as calm as possible because when you get excited, most of the time, you miss the ball. I aimed for the bottom corner, which is what I did today.”
Following their comeback from a 1-0 deficit, Spurs maintained fifth place with 50 points. Aston Villa holds fourth place with 55 points, but Tottenham has a match in hand. -Bernama
