Heung-Min Son, who defeated Manchester City, dominated the match

It is a brilliant and exciting start.

Heung-min Son (29, Tottenham) scored the winning goal in the opening match of the English Premier League (EPL) for the 2021-2022 season against defending champion and champion Manchester City (Man City), leading the team to a 1-0 victory. .

Son Heung-min’s left footed mid-range shot through the defenders while digging into the right flank in the 10th minute of the second half was 0-0 in the match against Manchester City in London, England on the 16th. Son Heung-min scored in the opening game of the league for the first time in eight years since he scored the first goal against Werder Bremen during the 2013-2014 season with Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga. This is my first time in the EPL.

New Tottenham manager Noonu Ispiritu Santo assigned Son Heung-min as the leading striker in the 4-2-3-1 format that day. Lucas Mora, Deli Ali and Stevan Bergwein supported Son Heung-min. It is a tactic that focuses on a quick counterattack centered on Son Heung-min, which he experimented with in the pre-season. As well as Son Heung-min, Mora and Bergbein played a big role, the new attacking union received a passing score. In particular, it is interesting to see whether the Son Heung-min-Mora combination can replace the Son Heung-min-Harry Kane combination, which showed power last season, as Mora, as much as Son Heung-min, was very active while stirring the opponent’s defense. As Son Heung-min’s attack shines from the first game, there is also an expectation that he will surpass the record of last season when he achieved a personal best with 22 goals and 17 assists.

Son Heung-min, who won Santo’s official debut, scored 7 goals in 14 matches against Manchester City, showing performances worthy of the nickname ‘Man City Killer’. Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola said: “A similar thing happens when we visit Tottenham. It’s hard to block a quick attack. Heung-Min Son put it in, and we didn’t.” Son Heung-min was selected as the best player of the game, ‘King of the Match’. The British media ‘BBC’ evaluated that Tottenham’s victory had an important meaning on that day. Main gun Kane was unable to play that day due to lack of training as he had a conflict with the club over the transfer issue. The BBC said: “It was a game that derailed the expectation that Kane’s absence would cause a major blow to Tottenham. Heung-Min Son threatened Man City by playing fiercely,” he said. Tottenham fans chanted “Are you watching Kane?” at Kane who was about to leave for Manchester City as the victory was imminent.

Meanwhile, Son Heung-min, who recently renewed his contract with Tottenham until 2025, said in an interview with ‘Sky Sports’ in the UK, “I did not want to transfer to another team, so I renewed my contract. I can be at Tottenham for 10 years or more,” he said. Son Heung-min said, “I fought for the fans. He showed that he prepared hard to face the best team, Man City. It is very meaningful to start the season like this.”

By Lee Won-hong, staff reporter bluesky@donga.com