Tottenham won 3-1 against Southampton on the 6th at 10 p.m. (Korean time) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, in the '2024-2025 season Premier League Round 31,' led by Brennan Johnson's multi-goal performance. Marking 37 points, Tottenham broke their losing streak.

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

Although a rest was likely for Son Heung-min before the match, he was unexpectedly fielded in the starting lineup. Prior to the match against Southampton, Tottenham had struggled with 1 draw and 3 losses in their last four league matches. They lost 0-1 against Manchester City with Son Heung-min not in the starting lineup. Son scored the equalizer in the match against Bournemouth, ending in a 2-2 draw. They subsequently lost consecutively to Fulham (0-2) and Chelsea (0-1).

Fortunately, Tottenham created a turning point by overwhelming the league's bottom team, Southampton. It was particularly impressive that several players, including Son Heung-min, showcased balanced performances. Johnson also drew applause with his good play after receiving assistance from Son.

This season, Son has scored 7 goals and provided 9 assists. While still performing excellently, it is true that he is somewhat lacking compared to his usual form. Son is currently in the situation where he has recorded the fewest goals since his debut season with Tottenham in 2015-16, when he scored 4 goals. On this day, Son, who started, did not record an attacking point but played a pivotal role in the opening goal.

On this day, Johnson scored multiple goals and was on the verge of a hat trick. However, something else drew attention beyond his multi-goal performance. It was that Johnson, who was on the verge of a hat trick, did not take a penalty kick (PK) he earned. In the added time of the second half, Tottenham was awarded a PK when Johnson made a breakthrough.

Instead of Johnson, who was on the verge of a hat trick, Mathis Tel suddenly took the PK. Tel, who was substituted in at the 43rd minute of the second half, completed the kick, leading to Tottenham's 3-1 victory. Various discussions have arisen regarding this PK opportunity, given that Tottenham's regular PK takers, Son Heung-min, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke, were all unavailable.

Under such circumstances, it would not have been strange for Johnson, who was on the verge of a hat trick and directly earned the PK, to take the kick. Given that Johnson started the match and had been performing excellently, it would not have been out of place if someone else had yielded to him.

The scene where Tel, who was brought on at the 43rd minute, did not yield the ball during the PK has been interpreted as a conflict between them. In fact, Johnson showed his intention to take the kick, saying 'hat trick, hat trick' to Tel, who was being stubborn, but Tel continued not to yield.

As the two continued to discuss the PK, other teammates became anxious. Then, teammate Porro was the first to seize the ball and mediate between the two. Porro informed the only remaining captain on the field, Romero, about Johnson's chance for a hat trick and handed the ball to him.

Romero talked to Johnson and handed the ball to Tel. Ultimately, Johnson sighed and shook his head, allowing Tel to take the PK. At that time, Tel's family was watching the match. After scoring, Tel ran to embrace his family as the match concluded.

In a post-match interview, Johnson said, "There is a limit to how much we can talk about that situation. We can discuss who takes the penalty kick, but if it goes further, the team atmosphere becomes tense," and explained the reason for yielding, noting, "I have also felt uneasy when another player tried to take the ball from me in a similar situation."

He added, "In fact, the match against Southampton was a situation where the outcome was almost predetermined to some extent. Still, I did not want to ruin the team atmosphere or create unnecessary conflict," and showed a mature attitude, stating, "If (vice-captain Romero) made the decision, I thought it was right to just accept it and focus on the game."

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