English Premier League (EPL) Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min, 31, has embraced his arch-enemy Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham came from behind to lose 1-4 at home to Chelsea in the 11th round of the 2023-24 EPL on Sunday (Sept. 7) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. After opening the season unbeaten in 10 games (W8 D2 L2), the surging Spurs were unable to overcome the disadvantage of having two players sent off on the day and suffered their first loss of the season.레모나토토 주소
Spurs smiled when Dejan Kluczewski opened the scoring in the sixth minute, but were four goals down after Cristian Romero was sent off in the 33rd minute and Destiny Udoh in the 10th minute.
Son, who was chasing his ninth goal, had a 13th-minute strike disallowed by a VAR review and saw his best chance of the game in the final minute of stoppage time tipped over the bar by the goalkeeper.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min (right) ⓒ Reuters=News1
After the game, Son stood on the pitch for a while in disappointment before Pochettino approached him and gave him a comforting handshake and then a hug.
Pochettino and Son had a priestly relationship at Tottenham in the past. When Pochettino took charge of Tottenham in 2014, he recognized the value of Son, who was playing for Leverkusen (Germany) the following year.
Pochettino trusted Son, and in his second season, he became a regular double-digit scorer and a fixture for Spurs.
Under Pochettino, Son and Spurs finished as EPL runners-up and reached the UEFA Champions League final.
When Pochettino left Tottenham for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and returned to the EPL as Chelsea’s manager, it was the perfect opportunity for Son and Pochettino to meet as adversaries.
Even though they were now on opposing teams, Pochettino hadn’t forgotten about Son and embraced him warmly. The two chatted face-to-face for a while.
After the game, Heung-min buried his face in his jersey and cried, but only after being comforted.
Pochettino, meanwhile, showed his unwavering affection for Son, saying in his pre-match press conference that “Heung-min is the best player in the EPL.”