In a crucial moment, Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) was removed.

Tottenham Hotspur lost 0-1 to Manchester City at home in the Premier League Round 27 for the 2024-2025 season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on the 27th at 4:30 a.m. (Korea Standard Time).

With this defeat, Tottenham's winning streak came to an end, and they failed to earn points, slipping to 13th place in the league with 33 points (10 wins, 3 draws, 14 losses). If they had won this match, Tottenham would have achieved four consecutive league victories, but they ended their winning streak with a lethargic loss to Manchester City.

Manchester City maintained 4th place in the league (47 points) by adding 3 points.

Tottenham lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Mathys Tel was positioned at the forefront, with Wilson Odovere, James Maddison, and Brennan Johnson in the attacking midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Beriwal filled the midfield, while Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso, Archie Gray, and Pedro Porro formed the backline. Guglielmo Vicario guarded the goal. Captain Son Heung-min started on the bench.

Manchester City also chose a 4-2-3-1 formation. Erling Haaland was positioned at the forefront, with Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, and Fabinho in the attacking midfield. Mateo Kovacic and Nico Gonzalez protected the backline, while Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Abdulkodir Husanov, and Mateus Nunes formed the defensive line. Ederson donned the goalkeeper gloves.

In the 12th minute of the first half, Manchester City scored the opening goal. Doku passed the ball through the defense, which Haaland connected with a shot to shake the net. After that, in the 27th minute, Fabinho and in the 30th minute, Haaland aimed for additional goals, but both attempts were denied by Vicario's saves and a shot that went over the crossbar.

In the second half, Tottenham began to counterattack. In the 10th minute of the second half, Porro's cross was shot by Odovere, but it missed the goal; in the 15th minute, Danso's header was also stopped by Ederson. In the 17th minute of the second half, Bentancur attempted a header, but it was blocked by Ederson's save.

In the 21st minute of the second half, Tottenham made a major player substitution. Bentancur, Tel, Udogie, and Odovere were replaced by Son Heung-min, Jed Spence, Pape Sarr, and Dejan Kulusevski to introduce change.

In the 30th minute of the second half, Tottenham found a counterattack opportunity. Johnson broke through on the right and provided a cutback pass, but Kulusevski's shot deflected off target, missing the opportunity. In the 39th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min connected with a shot from Johnson's cross, but Ederson made the save.

Just before the end of stoppage time, Haaland scored an additional goal, but the goal was canceled after VAR review. Ultimately, the match concluded with Manchester City's 1-0 victory.

In this match, Son Heung-min started on the bench. Instead, Wilson Odovere started as a priority. What is puzzling is that Son Heung-min has shown good performance against Manchester City in the past.

This season, Son Heung-min has accumulated a total of 1,751 minutes in league play. Including all official matches, it amounts to 2,560 minutes. He has started most matches and played nearly full time. However, Postecoglou opted to exclude Son Heung-min from the starting lineup for the match against Manchester City.

Tottenham is not in a relaxed situation either. Before this match, they had been on a three-match winning streak, steadily accumulating points, but they were still stuck in 12th place in the league. Being a home game, they needed to capture Manchester City in any way to aim for 3 points.

Son Heung-min started on the bench in the match against Manchester City. It is an incomprehensible decision. He has continuously been started against weaker teams but was removed from the starting lineup due to fitness issues against Manchester City. Moreover, Kulusevski, who has played an important role alongside Son Heung-min throughout the season, was also absent.

Tottenham allowed a goal from Erling Haaland just 12 minutes into the match. After that, they adopted a more aggressive stance and aimed for a goal, but despite creating good chances, the goals did not come easily.

After finishing the first half trailing 0-1, Tottenham finally substituted Son Heung-min and Kulusevski in the 21st minute of the second half. With just over 30 minutes to deliver, Son Heung-min did not have enough time to achieve anything. He had a perfect chance in the 39th minute but was thwarted by Ederson's superb save.

Ultimately, Tottenham, without Son Heung-min in the starting lineup, lost to Manchester City 0-1 in a lethargic manner.

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