Son shines to silence Millwall’s hate mob

WELL done, Son Heung-min. Credit to you for letting your feet do the talking.

Tottenham booked their place in the FA Cup semi-final with this thumping victory but Tottenham forward Son emerged as the real winner. The real hero.

Having had to tolerate racist abuse from away fans all afternoon, the Korean scored a hat-trick to make them eat their words. Mauricio Pochettino reserved a special embrace for his match-winner after the whistle. No wonder.

Tottenham went to extreme measures in ensuring this clash passed without trouble given the potentially explosive nature of the fixture. They shut the club shop to avoid it being vandalised. They even removed the branded hoardings from the upper tier to stop visiting fans using them as missiles.

But there was nothing Spurs could do about the abuse that spewed forth from Millwall supporters. Fair play to manager Neil Harris for not ducking the issue and insisting fans found guilty should be dealt with harshly.

This victory did not come without its consequences for Spurs, though, as Harry Kane limped off inside the opening 10 minutes with a nasty-looking ankle injury following an accidental tangle with defender Jake Cooper.

The fact Pochettino brought on attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen instead of Kane’s understudy Vincent Janssen tells us all we need to know about how the Spurs boss views his centre forward options.

Kane now looks certain to miss England’s double-header against Germany and Lithuania.

That will be the least of Pochettino’s worries. With a Champions League place and FA Cup glory at stake, losing Kane for any length of time could have serious repercussions. But in Son, Spurs may have someone who can fill their stricken striker’s boots.

Kane’s injury marred what was otherwise a very sweet Sunday afternoon for Spurs. Even Janssen scored his first Tottenham goal from open play in the closing stages. Midfielder Harry Winks’s assured and composed display is also worthy of mention. But this was Son’s day. Being the last FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane, Pochettino urged his side to give the game the send- off it deserved. The team emphatically delivered with a dominant first-half display.

Millwall goalkeeper Tom King was forced into four saves inside the opening six minutes. Then, as Kane was in the process of shooting, the England striker’s right ankle was caught as Cooper slid in to stop his attempted strike.

Having received lengthy treatment, Kane limped off to be replaced by Eriksen.

Pochettino would have been focused on proceedings on the pitch, but he could have been forgiven for casting a thought to Kane’s predicament, particularly judging by the gruesome replay footage of the incident.

The Argentine’s team, however, didn’t let their minds wander.

But for a couple of toothless attacks from Millwall, the hosts were in no mood to be embar- rassed. Dele Alli was denied a penalty in the 23rd minute when he was hauled to the ground by Millwall skipper Tony Craig, who had a handful of Alli’s shirt.

Eight minutes later, Millwall’s luck ran out when Spurs took a deserved lead, Eriksen firing a clinical strike past King after Alli chested the ball down. Victor Wanyama went within inches of doubling Tottenham’s lead five minutes later but his firm header came back off the bar.

Credit to Millwall, they hung in there and Steve Morison’s physical presence gave Tottenham’s defence a couple of uncomfortable moments.

But not many can live with Spurs when they click into gear. Son gave them a 2-0 lead four minutes before the break, brilliantly curling home to finish off a swift counter led by Alli and Eric Dier.

Spurs took just nine minutes to extend their advantage after the break, Son once again ramming the despicable taunts from visiting supporters down their throats with a sumptuous volley from Kieran Trippier’s ball over the top.

Intent on embarrassing their London rivals, Spurs refused to take their foot off the gas. Alli tapped home the fourth from two yards after Eriksen’s through-ball and £17million summer signing Janssen, at his 30th attempt, ended his open-play duck in the 79th minute.

But it was only right Son had the last laugh here, and he did, completing his hat- trick with virtually the last kick of the game courtesy of a howler from Millwall keeper King.