Wasn’t it nice to play with SON? Son Heung-min vs. Trippier

Son Heung-min scored the winner against Kieran Trippier.

Tottenham defeated Newcastle United 4-1 in the 16th round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, at 1:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 11. The win broke a five-match winless streak and moved Tottenham into fifth place.

Tottenham scored first. In the 26th minute, Son Heung-min played a pass from the left flank past Trippier. Destiny Udogie slid it in and rattled the net. With the momentum in their favor, Tottenham added another goal. In the 37th minute, off a pass from Pedro Foro, Son Heung-min beat Trippier once more on the left flank before feeding the ball to Hicharisson. He only had to turn and finish. The first half ended with Tottenham leading 2-0.

The second half was all Tottenham. He completed his hat trick. In the 15th minute of the second half, Foro kicked the ball forward and it was collected by Hischalisson. It was a long touch, but he resolved it quickly and split the goal. Son Heung-min drove the wedge. In the 38th minute, a pass from Foro was tripped by goalkeeper Martin Dubravka inside the penalty box and a penalty kick was awarded. Son stepped up to take the spot kick and converted the penalty. Despite conceding a late goal to Joelinton in stoppage time, Tottenham went on to win 4-1.

According to soccer statistics outlet Sofa Score, Son played 89 minutes, scoring one goal and two assists, with two shots on target, two shots off target, 54 touches of the ball, an 81% pass success rate (25 of 31), four key passes, two chances created, three dribbles (five attempts), and seven ground battles (12 attempts). His rating was the highest at 9.5. In contrast, Trippier had a rating of 6.6.

Trippier has a connection to Son Heung-min. Trippier played alongside Son during his time with the Spurs. In the 2015-16 season, Trippier joined the Spurs alongside Son Heung-min. At the time, Kyle Walker was in the starting lineup, so he mostly came off the bench and played in cup competitions. The following season, he played more games but remained Walker’s backup.

In 2017-18, Walker moved to Manchester City and won a starting spot, but his subpar performances saw him lose out to Serge Aurier. An injury to Aurier opened the door for Trippier, but he failed to make an impact. The following season, Trippier failed to turn things around and left Tottenham.

Trippier did well at Atletico Madrid, assisting on many goals with his trademark sharp crosses. He established himself with solid performances. He then returned to the PL with a move to Newcastle. Trippier has become a key resource for Newcastle with his steady defense and flanking attacks.

However, in this match, he was completely outplayed in a one-on-one battle with Son Heung-min. Trippier’s inability to stop Son led to Tottenham’s first and second goals. For Trippier, it was a nostalgic match for his Tottenham days playing alongside Son.

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