Son double sets Spurs on Chelsea’s tail
LONDON: Son Heung-Min struck twice as Tottenham Hotspur maintained the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea with a 4-0 victory against Watford at a sun-soaked White Hart Lane on Saturday.
With Antonio Conte’s side not due to face Bournemouth until later in the day, Spurs made the most of the chance to close the gap at the head of the table to four points with Dele Alli and Eric Dier also on target.
The chances of Tottenham overhauling Chelsea may be slim, but manager Mauricio Pochettino can be satisfied his side are not going to give up the chase.
After recovering from a goal down to win in the final two minutes of the mid-week trip to Swansea City, Spurs did everything that was asked of them against a poor Watford side with little still to play for this season.
All four goals were the result of outstanding finishes that demonstrated the confidence running through Pochettino’s side and in particular Son, who has now scored seven goals in five games. Three first-half goals put Spurs in control and after Son added a fourth in the 54th minute, the Spurs manager brought on Harry Kane to ease the club’s leading scorer back into action.
Pochettino had sprung a surprise in the build-up to this game by revealing the striker would return to the squad after recovering from an ankle injury ahead of schedule.
The Argentine opted to leave Kane on the bench and hand Vincent Janssen lead the line.
Janssen has struggled to make his mark since arriving in a £17 million ($21 million, 19.9 million euros) move from AZ Alkmaar and it quickly became clear his luck was not about to change.
The Dutchman spurned three good first-half chances before Alli finally set Spurs on their way.
Janssen’s first opportunity came after just nine minutes when he turned Watford centre-back Craig Cathcart by the penalty spot and shot against the legs of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
If that was unfortunate, Janssen’s second miss was one he would want to forget, with the forward somehow diverting Kieran Trippier’s cross onto the bar from just two yards out. HAT-TRICK ELUDES SON Seconds later, Trippier’s rightwing cross eluded the sliding the chance to Janssen by a couple of feet.
Any concerns that Pochettino’s side might struggle to secure the win they needed disappeared in the 33rd minute when Alli capped a sweeping move with an outstanding finish.
The move began on Hugo Lloris’s goal-line, the Spurs goalkeeper remaining calm under pressure to play the ball out to Trippier. The former Burnley right-back demonstrated similar composure in exchanging passes with Christian Eriksen before finding Mousa Dembele.
The Belgian surged forward and was thrown to the ground by Abdoulaye Doucoure as he moved the ball on to Alli.
Fortunately, referee Anthony Taylor played the advantage and the decision allowed Alli curl a stunning shot over Gomes and into the top-right corner from 25 yards. MUSCAT: Oman Football Association (OFA) has received invitation from the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) for a friendly match in Muscat during May 24-26.
OFA received another invitation for a friendly match from Afghanistan Football Federation on August 30. The teams’ committee of OFA will study both invitations in consultation and coordination with the coaching staff of Oman’s football team.
As part of its preparation for 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Oman will play a friendly against Jordan on October 4 in Dubai.