Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Son and Kane combination leads Spurs rout of Southampton

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - September 20, 2020 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane scores a first goal which is later disallowed upon VAR review Pool via REUTERS/Justin Tallis

Son Heung-min scored four goals set up by Harry Kane as Tottenham Hotspur came from a goal down to overwhelm Southampton 5-2 on Sunday and earn their first Premier League win of the season.

In an action-packed first half at St Mary's, both sides had a goal ruled out by VAR before Danny Ings finished well from a tight angle in the 32nd minute to put Southampton ahead.

The hosts deserved their lead and had chances to add a second before Son, with Spurs' first shot at goal, latched onto a fine first-time pass from Kane before equalising in first-half stoppage time.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - September 20, 2020 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min scores their second goal Pool via REUTERS/Catherine Ivill

That same combination unlocked the hosts two minutes after the break, with Son taking advantage of a high Saints defensive line before racing clear to score.

Son's first Premier League hat-trick was completed in the 64th minute before Kane set him up again with a sublime pass 17 minutes from time.

It was the first time one player has assisted another's Premier League hat-trick since 2003, when Thierry Henry set up Freddie Ljungberg's treble for Arsenal against Sunderland.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - September 20, 2020 Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters in action with Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min Pool via REUTERS/Catherine Ivill

Kane himself completed the rout with a close-range finish before Ings grabbed a late Southampton consolation from the penalty spot.

"It is incredible to score four in the Premier League," Son said. "Four amazing assists from Harry, he deserves the man of the match award.

"We have been working for five season together now. We know what we like and work hard on our relationship on and off the pitch. Hopefully, there are many more goals to come."

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - September 20, 2020 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane scores their fifth goal Pool via REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

The scoreline flattered Tottenham, who only had five shots on target -- two less than Southampton -- but their clinical finishing made all the difference.

It is now three defeats from three in all competitions for Saints this season.

"It is hard to take," Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuettl said. "At the beginning we were very good. Our heads dropped after their goal in the first half and we gave in too easy.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - September 20, 2020 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min scores their fourth goal Pool via REUTERS/Catherine Ivill

"The opponent was not pressured on the ball at all -- the defending was a disaster."

(Reporting by Peter Hall, editing by Ed Osmond)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.