Son Heung-min assists on his return to Tottenham

Striker Son Heung-min shone in injury time, helping Tottenham beat Brighton 2-1 in round 24 of the Premier League.

Son did not start, coming on in the 62nd minute. He is still not at his best since returning from the Asian Cup. He played poorly after his appearance, but the South Korean striker showed his class in the pass that set up Brennan Johnson to seal the score in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Receiving the ball from Richarlison, Son's one-touch left-footed pass was just enough to get past Pervis Estupinan before reaching Johnson.

Son and Johnson were brought onto the field at the same time, at the moment Tottenham had just equalized 1-1. Photo: Reuters — Son and Johnson were brought onto the field at the same time, at the moment Tottenham had just equalized 1-1. Photo: *Reuters*

Tottenham moved into the top four, one point ahead of Aston Villa thanks to this win. The way they won the three points made the home fans even more excited. Tottenham started the game with their usual attacking style. However, the home team struggled early on as Brighton's pressing style prevented them from progressing the ball freely.

Just 30 seconds after the opening whistle, Micky van de Ven lost the ball in the penalty area. Thanks to Guglielmo Vicario's save, Tottenham escaped defeat from Danny Welbeck's shot. Then, the Dutch midfielder made another mistake, fouling Welbeck, which resulted in a penalty. From the free kick, Pascal Gross fooled Vicario to put the visitors ahead.

The early goal did not faze Tottenham. In fact, Ange Postecoglou's team played better after conceding. James Maddison's clever outside-of-the-foot pass opened up a one-on-one opportunity for Richarlison. But the Brazilian striker could not beat Jason Steele in the one-on-one. Richarlison has scored nine goals in the last eight games and has been a source of inspiration for Tottenham in the absence of Son Heung-min, but he was unlucky in this match.

Dunk blocked Pape Sarr's pass but created conditions for the home midfielder to score. Photo: Reuters — Dunk blocked Pape Sarr's pass but created conditions for the home midfielder to score. Photo: *Reuters*

The duo Richarlison and Maddison continued to stir up trouble in Brighton's goal. This time, it was Richarlison's turn to "supply" his teammate, but Maddison's curling shot missed the post by a hair's breadth, causing him to grimace in regret. On the other side, Brighton responded by winning the ball in front of the penalty area, opening up an opportunity for Kaoru Mitoma to finish from a tight angle, but Vicario blocked it. The match became a contest between the two goalkeepers, as not long after, it was Steele's turn to deny Dejan Kulusevski.

Tottenham continued to dominate the second half, but began to look unsteady, prompting Postecoglou to consider substitutions. But as he was preparing to introduce Son Heung-min and Johnson, Tottenham equalised thanks to a surprise run by midfielder Pape Matar Sarr.

The credit goes to Kulusevski for his through ball that split the Brighton defence open. Tottenham were also lucky in this one, as Sarr initially passed to Richarlison but Lewis Dunk dived to block it. The ball bounced off the post and back to Sarr, allowing him to easily slot into an empty net as both the Brighton goalkeeper and defenders were caught off guard.

Richarlison celebrates with Johnson after Tottenham raised the score to 2-1. Photo: AP

Luck continued to accompany the home team when they let Mitoma escape down the left wing and pass to Ansu Fati. But the Barca loanee's tap-in went wide. Not long after, Mitoma broke through again, creating an opportunity for Facundo Buonanotte. His shot went wide after hitting van de Ven. It can be said that Mitoma plowed Tottenham's right wing, making Pedro Porro struggle. But his teammate was too wasteful.

Brighton escaped a penalty in the final minutes when Dunk handled the ball after trying to block Johnson's cross. But in the end, they still couldn't come away with a point as Tottenham's attack shone in the final minutes. Postecoglou's calculations paid off when two players he brought on to combine to bring home the winning goal.

Quang Huy

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