Son Heung-min was well aware of Arsenal midfielder Jorginho’s weaknesses.
Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 with Arsenal in the sixth round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) season at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday. Despite failing to break the Arsenal away draw jinx, Tottenham are cruising after opening the league unbeaten.
The star of the show was Son Heung-min. Starting as a frontline striker, Heung-min was quiet in the early stages of the game but showed up whenever the team was in trouble. Spurs struggled against Arsenal’s pressure until midway through the first half. 스포츠토토
Spurs even conceded an own goal from Christian Romero in the 26th minute, and it looked like another Arsenal away nightmare was looming. But then came Son Heung-min. In the 42nd minute, James Maddison played the ball into the center of the box after exquisitely outmuscling Xherdan Shaqiri. Heung-min was lurking in the back of the defense, and he sprinted forward and slotted home the equalizer.
Despite Son’s heroics, Romero conceded another penalty five minutes into the second half. Saka stepped up to take the lead again, but Son was quick to respond. Madsen made a quick run forward to steal the ball from Jorginho, and the South Korean was quick to finish the ball past David Raya half a beat later.
As it turned out, Son’s second goal was the result of a planned tactical change. Arsenal took off Declan Rice at the start of the second half and brought on Jorginho. Jorginho has been a problematic player for the Gunners since his time at Chelsea, exposing his vulnerability to intense pressure.
Son, who has long been an adversary of Jorginho, knew exactly the risk Arsenal were taking with him. “I spoke to him before the second half started,” Son said after the game. Arsenal made a substitution and we decided to be more aggressive when we had possession in midfield.”
If you look closely at the play that brought Jorginho the ball, Son Heung-min preemptively intercepted Jorginho’s pass, causing Jorginho to panic, which is when Madsen swooped in and took the ball. It was a moment where Son and Madsen saw the change in Arsenal’s game plan and made a quick decision that paid off.
After the game, Jorginho took to social media to apologize to the fans for not protecting Arsenal’s lead. “It was a painful mistake. But after my mistake, I saw how everyone acted to support and encourage me: my teammates, the coach, the staff and the Arsenal fans. This motivates me to work harder. We deserve to be better. I am truly grateful to the Arsenal family for their support.”