Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has provided an explanation for his decision to haul star attacker Heung-min Son off prematurely during the club’s meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion.
South Korean international Son was handed a starting berth this evening, as Spurs welcomed Graham Potter’s Brighton to north London for an FA Cup 4th-round clash.
And the gifted wide-man went on to impress, looking lively throughout, and even setting up strike partner Harry Kane’s 2nd of the game courtesy of a trademark surging run through the heart of the Seagulls’ backline:
The run from Son! ⚡️
He’s back.@SpursOfficial #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/AjghQCcdqX
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 5, 2022
Son, though, as alluded to above, was pulled from proceedings by boss Antonio Conte with 20+ minutes remaining in proceedings.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Conte was therefore inevitably drawn on the reasoning behind his call.
And the Italian went on to cite Son’s recent spell on the sidelines as key, with Spurs’ head coach having evidently been wary of the possibility of his star attacker suffering a relapse if overworked:
Conte on Son: “Sonny is an important player for us, he’s decisive. He knew I wanted to give him 65-70 mins because when you come back from a serious injury, I prefer to manage Son and also Romero.” #THFC
— Charlie Eccleshare (@CDEccleshare) February 5, 2022
Kane at the double
Son’s withdrawal prior to the 70th-minute, though, ultimately had little impact on the final scoreline at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
This comes with Conte and co., owing to a solid all-round display, having eventually emerged on the right side of a 3-1 scoreline.
The aforementioned Harry Kane proved the star of the show, bagging a brace either side of the interval, with under-fire right-wing-back Emerson Royal having also managed to find the net (courtesy of a hefty deflection), to guide Tottenham to an altogether deserved spot in the FA Cup’s Last-16.
A @HKane double that included a rocket of a strike saw @SpursOfficial into the #EmiratesFACup fifth round ?#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/oi9kRDt5Ku
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 5, 2022
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