Tottenham wins 3-1 as Tel scores PK against Johnson's hat-trick bid

It's a difficult problem. Both players probably wanted to take it, but ultimately the captaincy must decide.

Tottenham won 3-1 against Southampton in the '31st round of the 2024-2025 Premier League' held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on 6th at 10 p.m. (Korea Standard Time), led by Brennan Johnson's multi-goal performance. Marking 37 points, Tottenham ended their losing streak.

The starting lineup was announced ahead of the match. Tottenham's attack was led by Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, and Brennan Johnson. James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Lucas Berybal were placed in the midfield. Jed Spence, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, and Pedro Porro formed the defense, while the goalkeeper was Guglielmo Vicario.

Son Heung-min was expected to rest before the match, but he surprised everyone by being included in the starting lineup. Tottenham had been struggling with 1 draw and 3 losses in their last four league matches before facing Southampton. They lost 0-1 to Manchester City when Son Heung-min was left out of the starting lineup. Son Heung-min scored the equalizer in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. They then lost consecutively to Fulham (0-2) and Chelsea (0-1).

Fortunately, against the league's bottom team Southampton, they launched an onslaught and created a turning point. Notably, several players, including Son Heung-min, showed impressive performances with balanced contributions. Johnson also demonstrated good form, receiving assistance from Son Heung-min, generating applause.

This season, Son Heung-min has scored 7 goals and provided 9 assists. While his performance remains outstanding, it is somewhat lacking compared to his usual levels. This marks the situation where he has the fewest goals since recording 4 goals in his debut season at Tottenham in 2015-16. Although Son Heung-min did not contribute to the score today, he played a crucial role in setting up the opening goal.

From the start of the match, Tottenham launched a relentless offensive. In the 9th minute of the first half, in a corner kick situation, Romero attempted a powerful header that was saved by Ramsdale. In the 11th minute of the first half, Berybal stirred the opposing defense and took a shot, but it didn't connect properly.

Tottenham broke through with the opening goal in the 13th minute of the first half. Notably, the critical attacking pattern saw Spence and Son Heung-min work effectively together on the left flank. Son Heung-min passed to Spence, who overlapped on the left side. Johnson finished it off with a direct cross.

In the 26th minute of the first half, Tottenham took a free kick, and Romero executed a sharp diving header. However, this shot was unfortunately blocked by the opposing goalkeeper Ramsdale's face. Although it was unfortunate, in the 35th minute, during another free kick attempt by Porro, after Romero touched the ball, Berybal scored with a shot from in front of the goal.

However, after a video assistant referee (VAR) check lasting over 5 minutes, Romero's offside was declared, and the goal was disallowed. Still, in the 41st minute of the first half, a chaotic situation unfolded in Southampton's box. During this, Maddison headed the ball, and Johnson finished it off, scoring a multi-goal.

The first half ended with Tottenham leading 2-0. With a comfortable 2-goal lead, Tottenham managed their pace in the second half in preparation for the next match. They are set to face Germany's Frankfurt in the first leg of the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Europa League quarterfinals at the same venue on the 11th.

In the 13th minute of the second half, they substituted Pape Sarr and Odobert for Son Heung-min and Bentancur to conserve energy. Maintaining concentration, Tottenham continued to hold their ground. However, they allowed a consolation goal to Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes in the 44th minute of the second half.

Nevertheless, in stoppage time of the second half, Tottenham won a penalty kick (PK) when Johnson broke through. Instead of the hat-trick seeking Johnson, Mathis Tel unexpectedly took the PK. Tel, who was substituted in the 43rd minute of the second half, completed the shot, and the match ended with Tottenham’s 3-1 victory.

Various discussions have emerged regarding this PK situation. With Tottenham's usual PK takers Son Heung-min, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke all absent, it seemed appropriate for Johnson, who was on the verge of a hat-trick and had drawn the PK, to take it.

Since Johnson had been in the starting lineup and was having a great match, it wouldn't have been strange for him to yield the shot had someone else drawn it. However, it appears there was a conflict when Tel, who was substituted in the 43rd minute of the second half, grabbed the ball and did not concede the PK.

In fact, Johnson expressed his intention by saying 'hat-trick' to the stubborn Tel, who held onto the ball, but Tel continuously refused to concede. Then, Porro, a teammate, took the ball first and mediated between the two. Porro informed Romero, the only captain remaining on the field, of Johnson's pursuit of a hat-trick and passed the ball to him.

Romero spoke to Johnson before leaving the ball for Tel. Ultimately, Johnson shook his head with a sigh, allowing Tel to take the PK. Tel's family was present at the stadium, and after scoring, he ran to embrace them, concluding the match.

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