Premier League English

Klopp and his men made to suffer at the hands of Son and the Kane-Son express

Tottenham’s dynamic twin spearheads have continued to underline their star quality to gift Manchester City the advantage over rivals Liverpool with a feisty and thrilling performance in their draw with the latter.

56 minutes had lapsed and the sky had begun fading from a clear blue to an ominous black when Emerson Royal launched a hopeful pass into the air hopeful of seeking out Harry Kane who had already begun to adjusting his body posture as he read the arc of the ball’s flight heading towards him.

Even as Trent Alexander-Arnold dawdled ever that slightly, an alert Kane snuffed the ball on the bounce and surged infield, his finely-honed built-in radar already registering that most most reliable, familiar figure up ahead. Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min – the most compelling dynamic duo of contemporary football partnership that’s wreaked havoc on the defenses of many a team in the Premier League for the last few seasons as their on-pitch chemistry sizzled in its enchanting alchemy.

Kane nudged the ball on to Ryan Sessegnon, who had made a fine run outside. The latter did all that was expected of him by producing the perfect cutback and guess who was there to tap it into the net? The ever-reliable, ever-scintillating Son, of course.

That was the very moment the season began to turn a little, at least in the favor of defending Premier League champions Manchester City. This high-stakes game was no less another crucial peg in that relentless title run-in, while simultaneously being also for Spurs an intricate step in their own pursuit of a spot in the top four which, even if nothing to brag about for serial award-winner Antonio Conte, would be something to be cherished by Tottenham’s faithfuls.

This match Liverpool dropped two key points and are now relying on City to either lose one or draw two. This race will surely go right to the end but with City having an edge now.

Yet it was Tottenham that stole the night and and instilled a sense of transformation. Admittedly, Liverpool were perhaps a tad below their high-throttle best – without taking anything away from Spurs – Conte’s magnificent boys achieved something remarkable without any doubts. Not looking anywhere near the bedraggled outfit prior to the Italian maestro’s takeover, they in fact radiated a new confidence and looked like the modern, aggressive, and well-drilled team that Conte had shaped them to be.

With their earlier flailing defense tightened up considerably, they also have in Son arguably the most potent attacker on the pitch and also the Premier League’s player of the second half of the season.

Grossly underrated, Son is indubitably an incredible footballer with sensational numbers to prove his mettle and caliber. It is indeed a conundrum worth figuring out in a sport where hype is the order of the day with ‘celebrities’ and prima donnas being fawned over and puffed up to absurd degrees while this humble South Korean gem of a gentleman both on and off the field is still having both his feet firmly on the ground, unless he is in one of his sizzling runs in play.

Son has nine goals in his last seven Premier League games, and this is remarkable considering that the season is narrowing to a cold, hard point. It would be well-nigh impossible to find a more complete attacker at the moment than the ever likeable, affable Tottenham striker with that perennial smile on his face.

Watching him play with his stunning range, fleet-footedly covering 60 yards with the ball, as he did here just after half-time, surging through the center and weaving his way out of heavy traffic, it is befuddling why there is never any talk about any major move or mega bids involving Son. That surely is a mystery to be sorted out.

Son is only two goals behind Mo Salah for the Premier League golden boot now and Conte certainly deserves all the credit for harnessing his amazing repository of skills ranging from his mobility and deft passing to his immaculate finishing artistry.

Although he had only a week to prepare, Conte managed to get Spurs ready for the task. Being the supreme tactician he is and he seasoned veteran that has long stunned the football world with his accomplishments with elitist clubs, he knew way beforehand that the sharp edge of this game would be the crucial interaction between Tottenham’s primary weapon, the Son-Kane express, and Liverpool’s high defensive line fronted by Virgil van Dijk.

This was a huge result for Tottenham, nonetheless, viewed from any perspective. They are now a point up on their expected total and to follow this up with a draw against Arsenal would be a decent enough result. Most importantly, with this draw against one of the most commanding teams in Europe in the present day, they will feel they can hold the balance of play against anyone.

The news has been that Conte has seemed to be on the verge of leaving ever since he arrived at Tottenham. Watching this it is highly likely he might just give some serious thought to staying around and commit himself to creating something of substance in this English football club to further cement his legacy.