PAIK JI-HWAN
Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday in the absence of injured captain Son Heung-min.
A goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 31st minute turned out to be the winner at Selhurst Park in London, sealing Crystal Palace’s first league win of the season.
Crystal Palace now sit in 17th place with one win, three draws and five losses, while Spurs are in eighth with four wins, one draw and four losses.
Son was not in the squad for Sunday’s match, as he has yet to fully recover from the injury he picked up during a Europa League game against Qarabag FK on Sept. 26.
He returned for the league fixture against West Ham on Oct. 19 and scored a goal, but Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou opted to exclude him from the match day squad for the Crystal Palace game as Son was not “feeling 100 percent.”
Speaking at a pregame press conference on Saturday ahead of the Crystal Palace game, Postecoglou said Son’s return was “getting closer” and expressed hope that his captain would be back in training next week.
Son’s prolonged injury comes ahead of the November international break, during which the Korean national team will play 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Palestine.
Son was omitted from the national team squad for the October fixtures due to his injury, with Mainz midfielder Hong Hyun-seok replacing him.
Despite the Tottenham captain’s absence, however, Korea picked up wins against Jordan and Iraq earlier this month with a more cohesive performance under manager Hong Myung-bo, leaving Korea topping Group B of the third qualifying round.
Until Hong announces his squad for the upcoming qualifiers on Nov. 14 and 19, Spurs will have a busy schedule in the coming days with their next match against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, followed by a league match against Aston Villa on Sunday.
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]