On a plate

By Pete Reilly Source: Global Times Published: 2020/10/29 19:03:40

Son and Kane shooting for record


Harry Kane (right) and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur Photo: VCG

It was Tottenham Hotspur's first shot on target of the game away to Burnley and it came 79 ­minutes into the game at Turf Moor on Monday night.

Harry Kane headed on an Erik Lamela corner to an awaiting Son Heung-min, with the South Korean heading home to help make history.

It was the 29th time that the Kane-Son combination has resulted in a goal in the English Premier League, drawing them level with both ­Arsenal's Thierry Henry and Robert Pires and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and David Silva. 

Only one other combination has accounted for more goals in the English top flight: Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard created 36 for each other at Chelsea.

Perhaps it is no combination that Jose Mourinho was the Chelsea manager for many of those Lampard-Drogba goals, but the Spurs boss was not willing to take all the credit for the form of his two superstars. 

Instead he credited his predecessor at the Spurs Stadium, Mauricio Pochettino.

"It is an understanding that comes from Mauricio time," Mourinho said after the final whistle of his side's 1-0 win. "I don't want all the credit myself; let's share with Mauricio."

Pochettino oversaw Kane's move from youth teamer to captain of club and country while also signing Son from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.

Finest form



The pair are perhaps in the finest form of their time with club.

This season Kane has five goals and eight assists - with a direct involvement in 13 goals already - the most ever notched by a player in his team's first six Premier League games.

Son is leading the race for the Golden Boot with eight goals in six games for a Spurs side that is the top-scoring team. While they have been free scoring, such as the 6-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this season, Mourinho was as happy with the 1-0 win.

"6-1 or 1-0, three points so I am happy as I was at Manchester United at Old Trafford." That's what Mourinho told BBC Sport ­after the game. "It was exactly what I was ­expecting. I know Sean [Dyche], I know the difficulties he can bring to the best attacking teams. They gave us a very difficult match. Congratulations to him and his boys. 

"I said before the game this was not the game for beautiful football or the game to score many goals - Sean Dyche knows how to organize a team and to stop the better teams from playing through it.

"This is the typical match where you can easily leave two points behind. Three very important points," Mourinho said post-match.

"This was the kind of match with all the ingredients to drop points, a cold rainy night in an empty stadium with opponents who defend very well.

"I knew from the start we wouldn't be allowed to play the way we wanted to play, but we wanted very much to win. We want to win every game, and when you have a combination like Kane and Son you will always have a chance."

He had more praise for the pair.

"They played together for a long time, probably a different way because Harry is not always a nine now," Mourinho said.

Kane has eight assists in six Premier League games this season, it is the most he has ever recorded in a single season and there are 32 games to go. It has been pointed out that neither Paul Scholes nor Xabi Alonso bettered seven assists in a season.

What it means is that a remarkable 23 percent of Kane's total Tottenham career assists have been this season, or just 3 percent of his games for the club.

Credit to players

After the game, Kane explained why he is getting more assists this season.

"I'm dropping a bit deeper this season," the England captain said. "The wide players have been running in behind and that allows me to get some space and get my head up, maybe in recent years we haven't quite been doing that."

Mourinho also played up their chemistry. 

"What pleases me more about them both is that they are two top players but close friends, no jealousy, they both play for the team. Credit to them, two great players, two great boys."

Son had spoken of their friendship in the run-up to the game.

"Harry and I have been playing together for over five years now, and we understand each other really well," Son said earlier in October. 

"We even go to the airport and training ground together sometimes, and the friendship off the field has only made our relationship on the pitch stronger.

"We talk about every single situation during training and tactical sessions, and his ability to understand me and my game, translates onto the field brilliantly."

Long-term deal

The hope for Mourinho and Spurs fans is that they can tie the South Korean skipper down to a new long-term deal and keep enjoying the benefits of what could be the record scoring Premier League partnership by the end of the season.

 "I would love [him to sign a new contract]," Mourinho said before the Burnley game.

"Son has three years of contract, so it's not like we're in an extreme situation of everybody being worried. It's more that Son loves it here, I ­believe that he would like to commit his future to the club for a long time.

"Everybody at the club is totally in love with this player and this boy and is trying also to make him feel part of the furniture. 

"It's normal the club tries to go from three years to four or five or six, I don't know. It's normal.

"But it's a very calm situation because Sonny has three more years of contract. But I wish [for him to get a new contract]. He deserves one."

Based on this season Kane will probably help him out with it.

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