Spurs star Son Heung-min first Asian to reach 50 English Premier League goals
- Landmark for AFC Asian Footballer of the Year as he moves to 51 with brace in dramatic win over Aston Villa
- South Korean forges ahead of second highest scorer Park Ji-sung, while manager Jose Mourinho jokes about missed chances
Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min became the first Asian footballer to pass the 50-goal milestone in the English Premier League with two goals on Sunday.
The South Korea international scored in first half injury time in his side’s match against Aston Villa at Villa Park, netting on the rebound after Pepe Reina had saved his penalty.
That made the score 2-1, after Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld had earlier scored at both ends, but the hosts would come back again in the second half to make it 2-2 through Bjorn Engels, the player who had given the penalty away.
Son was not done there and capitalised on another Engels error in second half injury time to race through and pass the ball past Reina for his 51st league goal and ninth of the season.
His manager Jose Mourinho joked about Son missing chances in the South Korean’s post-match interview, stopping Son talking to ask reporters, “Are you speaking about the goals he scored or the goals he missed?”
Son who, had six shots on target, addressed his saved spot kick.
“The run up to my penalty was the same versus Southampton,” he said. “I was waiting for the keeper to move but he stood up and it was a great save but I didn't give up and luckily I scored. I was happy to help the team.”
He had been even harder on himself immediately after the game.
“We showed our character, We didn't give up. I played bad I had a couple of chances to score. I played very badly,” Son told Sky Sports on the pitch after the final whistle.
“I had a couple of chances to score and finally, in the last second I score the winning goal. It makes me very, very happy. I think the lads deserved the win”
Those goals have come in 151 games since the 27-year-old arrived at the club in 2015 from German side Bayer Leverkusen.
Son has long been the most prolific Asian footballer to play in the English Premier League-era.
Compatriot Park Ji-sung scored 19 goals in 154 games with Manchester United and QPR, though he did not score for the latter. Son reached that total in 2017 in just 70 games.
However, Park is still the most successful of the Premier League’s Asian footballers, winning the title four times and the Uefa Champions League.
Another South Korean, Ki Sung-yueng scored 15 goals in 187 games at Newcastle United and Swansea City, while Japan striker Shinji Okazaki scored 14 times in 114 games for Leicester City, where he famously won the title.
No other Asian player has reached double figures.
Son, who has scored six goals in his last five games, is level with Christian Eriksen in fifth place on the club’s Premier League top scorer list. The forward is expected to make fourth his own as the Dane left to join Inter Milan last month.
The pair are on 51 behind Robbie Keane and Jermaine Defore in joint third on 91 goals. Teddy Sheringham is second on 97 with Son’s teammate Harry Kane top on 136 goals.
Spurs, who reached the final last season, host RB Leipzig in the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday.
