Son Heung-min returns from suspension

Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min failed to score a goal in his first match of the year. The 27-year-old Korean footballer played in a match against Middlesbrough FC in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday, which was his first match of 2020. Son returned from a three-match ban following his dismissal against Chelsea on Dec. 23.

With Tottenham striker Harry Kane facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury he sustained during a match against Southampton on Thursday, Son played up front as a striker but failed to score a goal. He had four key passes, the most in his team, but had only one shooting. Tottenham conceded the first goal to Ashley Fletcher in the 50th minute, but came back to draw when Lucas Moura scored an equalizer in the 61st minute. The replay between Tottenham and Middlesbrough is expected to be played on Jan. 15 as there are no extra-time for the third round FA Cup matches.

“Of course it’s a new thing for the team to play without Harry,” Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho bemoaned the absence of his striker. “We tried to give them the mobility of Son and Lucas, we tried to give that to the team, but it was not easy.” While Kane is a typical striker, who is capable of keeping, passing, and shooting the ball up front, Son and Moura are side forwards, who are good at moving to the center from the sides to be able to score a goal.

Before the FA Cup replay, Tottenham will take on Liverpool, which is leading the EPL standings with 19 wins and one draw, on Jan. 12. Eyes are on whether Son will play against Japanese forward Takumi Minamino, who has recently been transferred to Liverpool.


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com