Who needs Harry Kane? Who even needs Gareth Bale? Son Heung-min proved there is more to Tottenham Hotspur than their two superstar names as he bagged a hat-trick to haul Spurs to victory against Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday.
With Jose Mourinho’s side trailing 1-0 thanks to some sloppy defending and a Danny Ings (who else?) strike, Spurs were seemingly on the ropes when the South Korean grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck just before the break to level the scores.
He repeated his goalscoring feat shortly after the resumption and claimed his third on 65 minutes to consign Southampton to their second consecutive defeat of an embryonic Premier League season.
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But he was not done there. For all their first-half endeavours, Southampton collapsed at St Mary’s and Son grabbed his fourth on 71 minutes.
Kane got in on the act before Ings grabbed a consolation from the spot, but the damage was already done by the Korean Son.
With an improved Everton and a title-chasing Chelsea, plus Liverpool and Manchester City shoo-ins, the top four will be tougher than ever. Maybe Son will be the key for Spurs and Mourinho to deny Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester — maybe even Crystal Palace — the coveted quartet spot.
At the other end, it looks like Southampton are already in a dogfight for survival with Fulham, West Ham, Brighton and West Brom. We can safely presume Manchester United will recover from their precarious early position at the bottom of the table after their Old Trafford setback thanks to their strength in depth, but the Saints have no such luxury.
Ralph Hasenhuttl is among the favourites to be the first to be sacked this early in the season. He will need Ings’ teammates to start turning goals into points sharpish before they the fear of the drop to the Championship becomes a harsh reality.
