Son Heung-min scores in EPL season finale as Tottenham finish eighth, miss out on European qualification
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) recorded an assist in the final game of the 2022-2023 English Professional Soccer Premier League (EPL) season.
Tottenham defeated Leeds United but missed out on European competition next season.
Son started the away match in the 38th round of the 2022-2023 EPL at Elland Road in Leeds, England, on Sept. 29 and set up Harry Kane’s opening goal in the second minute.
It was Son’s sixth league assist of the season.
With 10 goals in the EPL, two in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and two in the English FA Cup, Son has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season, adding six assists to his total of 20 offensive points.
While that’s down significantly from his 32 total offensive points (24 goals, eight assists) last season, when he exploded for 23 goals in the EPL and became the first Asian player to win the league’s top scorer award, it’s the seventh consecutive season he’s finished with 20 or more offensive points, despite a difficult season that included a broken orbital bone.
Tottenham won the match 4-1, with goals from Son and Kane, but finished the season in eighth place with 18 wins, six draws, and 14 losses, 60 points, and failed to qualify for next season’s European competition.
Manchester City (89 points), Arsenal (84 points), Manchester United (75 points), and Newcastle (71 points) finished first through fourth in the EPL this season and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, while Liverpool (67 points) and Brighton (62 points) qualified for the Europa League.
Aston Villa (61 points), who beat Brighton 2-1 in the final match of the day, finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League.
Tottenham, who have competed in European competition since the 2010-2011 season, will not play next season.
Leeds finished 19th (31 points) and will be relegated to the second tier next season.
On the day, Spurs took the lead just a minute and a half into the match through the ‘Sonke duo’s’ 47th joint goal.
Pedro Foro laid the ball off on the right side of the penalty area, Son Heung-min cut in and slid it into the middle, where Kane rattled the net with a right-footed shot.
Foro pulled one back himself two minutes into the second half, and after Leeds pulled a goal back through Jack Harrison in the 22nd minute, Kane added another in the 24th minute after a penetrating pass from Foro.
Kane’s multi-goal outburst took his tally to 30 goals and moved him into second place in the league behind Elling Holland (Man City) with 36.
After Son was subbed off in the 31st minute for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Tottenham completed the rout in stoppage time with a wedge goal from Lucas Moura, who has decided to leave the club at the end of the season.
Son is expected to return home on the 30th.
Wolverhampton’s Hwang Hee-chan started and played until the 22nd minute of the second half against Arsenal, but was unable to prevent his team from falling to a 0-5 defeat.
Hwang, who has been a frequent substitute this season due to a hamstring injury, finished with four goals and three assists in all competitions, including three in the league.안전놀이터
Wolverhampton sits in 13th place with 41 points (11 wins, 8 draws, 18 losses).
Meanwhile, Leicester City (34 points), Leeds and Southampton (25 points) were relegated after the final round of games played on Sunday, finishing 18th and 20th.
City swept both categories, with Holland leading the league in goals and Kevin De Bruyne in assists (16).
