Son Heung-Min gets trolled on social media for comically diving to the ground after a ball from Kurt Zouma hits him rather softly.
Tottenham and West Ham were both desperate for the three points in Sunday’s big Premier League game, as they continue to hope they can catch London rivals Arsenal to finish within the top four.
Things didn’t go as planned for the Hammers, with Kurt Zouma scoring an own goal after just nine minutes, and Son then made the difference shipping in two goals, despite Said Benrahma getting one back for his side to make it 2-1.
Whilst his goals, and the part that Harry Kane played in both of them, was being applauded, the South Korean forward produced what has been described as an embarrassing dive.
He was walking over to take a corner, when Zouma kicked the ball at him, not particularly hard, and sent the former Bayer Leverkusen player to the ground. Taking the piss? No one really knows what it was about.
Handbags in the London Derby 🛍
Son fell to the floor after Zouma kicked the ball at him. pic.twitter.com/UnppwloAi7
— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) March 20, 2022
SKY SPORTS’ REF WATCH SAYS
INCIDENT: There was a bizarre incident in Tottenham’s 3-1 over West Ham on Sunday. West Ham defender Kurt Zouma kicked the ball towards Spurs’ forward Heung-Min Son, who theatrically fell to the ground. Was that reaction not simulation?
DERMOT’S VERDICT: “It’s not what you want to see.”
DERMOT SAYS: “It’s not what you want to see on a football field and in the Premier League. I think you have to do what’s most important and the incident it sparked becomes focal rather than what actually started it off because it was such a minor thing, just to kick the ball at him like that. There was such a lot going on afterwards over what started as a petulant kicking of the ball.”
“Not what you want to see on a football field… NOT good” 😤
Bizarre incident between Kurt Zouma and Heung-Min Son 🤨 pic.twitter.com/KYOhnmpozp
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 21, 2022
Player ratings
Tottenham: Lloris (6), Romero (8), Dier (6), Davies (6), Doherty (6), Bentancur (7), Hojbjerg (6), Reguilon (7), Kulusevski (7), Kane (8), Son (9).
Subs: Emerson (6), Bergwijn (6), Lucas (6).
West Ham: Fabianski (6), Zouma (5), Dawson (6), Cresswell (6), Johnson (6), Soucek (5), Rice (7), Lanzini (6), Masuaku (6), Benrahma (6), Antonio (5).
Subs: Yarmolenko (6), Fornals (6), Vlasic (6).
Man of the match: Heung-Min Son
“The only way to put pressure on Arsenal is to get three points and to win,” Conte said post-match. “There are nine games to go and for us every game has to be a final.
“At the moment they have a good advantage, especially because they are working with the same coach for many years and they have had many transfer markets with the same coach, maybe at this moment they are more ready than us.
“But in five months we have done a fantastic job with these players and we have reduced the gap with many teams in England.
“Now in our dressing room there is only one target in our mind. I want this to happen because it is right, if you want to improve the mentality it is right to start under pressure.
“For this reason I want to make this target, the race for fourth place. We know the difficulty to reach this target. Tottenham needs to have the ambition to play the best competition.
“In England it is not simple, in this moment there are four teams that are very, very top but if one of these four teams has a struggle and then we have to try and stay there.
“We know there is Arsenal that is taking advantage in the table and they are showing great stability and there is West Ham and (Manchester) United. We want to try to fight and to have this ambition is important to ask all of the players, especially the important players because they are able to take the responsibility to show this message.”
“It’s the opening part of the game that showed it [the tiredness],” Moyes told his press conference.
“I’m incredibly disappointed. If you’re the Under-11s coach you would be disappointed with it.
“You could not have picked a worst game [at the end of this big week].
“It’s incredibly difficult because Harry Kane is an absolutely world class player and if you don’t get it right… we didn’t quite get it right.”
Heung-Min Son speaking to Sky Sports:
“From the start of the game, we played really well, especially in the first half. We created so many chances – I hit the post. It’s a massive three points before the international break, so we’re really happy.”
On partnership with Kane: “I just make these runs for another option. If he doesn’t pass the ball, probably there will be space for somebody else or for Harry to shoot. The relationship with Harry I’ve spoken about maybe more than 100 times now!
“It’s incredible having this striker next to me. I really feel sorry for him today that he didn’t score – he had a few chances.”
Antonio Conte on Heung-Min Son:
“Sometimes the confidence can go down but the important players and top players are good to manage in this moment. Sonny you are talking about a really good, important player but at the same time he’s a good person. He suffered for the performance that are not good but especially if you don’t get two points This must be our thing: not to think of ourselves but for the team.”
“He’s an important player for us. He showed that today that’s an important player. I’ve seen a lot of links between him, Harry, Kulusevski but with Lucas, Steven Bergwijn, we are working a lot on this aspect.”
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
Things look a lot brighter in north London, and it’s not just the weather. The cold winds from a few weeks back have well and truly gone but a chilling message has still been sent through the air in this area’s divide.
Tottenham are getting their act together and Arsenal should be worried. Now Antonio Conte’s side are breathing down their neck and are within one strike of the Gunners until the middle of April at least.
A lot of the plaudits after Sunday’s result will surround the deadly duo of Kane and Son – whose forms since the start of the calendar year have looked as good as ever. Cristian Romero is becoming a leader at the back and the January additions of Kulusevski and Bentancur are paying off.
Given Spurs have shown the same defensive resilience that Arsenal have showed at Villa in recent game, plus the fact that Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn are barely used in Conte’s team, you could argue Tottenham are stronger than the Gunners in terms of squad depth.
Then you look at the April fixture list. In their five games, Spurs play no team higher than ninth in the table. Arsenal are away from home for most of that run, with Chelsea and Manchester United on their agenda.
Throw in a north London derby scheduled for May and Spurs are in good stead. Given the atmosphere from the West Ham derby, Mikel Arteta will ideally not want to take his players to Spurs needing a result.
The mind games have already started when it comes to Conte and Spurs. While there is a pressure for the white half of north London to keep up with the Gunners, Conte hinted that Arsenal have no excuse to throw their various advantages over Tottenham away.
“The only way to put pressure on Arsenal is to get three points – to win,” Conte said. “There are nine games to go, every game has to be a final.
“For sure they have a good advantage also especially because they’ve bene working with the same coach for many years. They have had many transfer market with the same coach, maybe they are more ready than us.”
As mentioned, Son Heung-Min gets trolled for comically diving after the ball from Kurt Zouma hits him…
@antooconnell: Career ending kick there for Son! #Spursy #Spurs #TOTWHU
@propernorty: Did Son actually just dive after having the ball tapped at him?
@Noble16Fakee: Son should be sent off for that. Dive all day long. A ball touched a professional football and he went down like he got shot.
@AfandiYara: Son needs to be booked for that pathetic dive. What a shit show
@DeanMitchell___: Not too sure what’s more embarrassing someone running on the pitch trying to chain themselves to the goal or that dive from Son… #TOTWHU
@alf13findlay: I’ve witnessed Son dive under contact from a West Ham player today, the ball and now the referee. He can’t keep getting away with this shit just cause he’s a nice guy 🤣🤣
@EDAJ__: That dive by Son is an absolute embarrassment
@posephoto: Son just dived after minimal contact with the referee & that’s not even the most ridiculous dive he’s done today. 🤣
@SamyakJain93: My man went down before the ball hit him 😂😂🤡
@Tactical_Times: Sometimes wonder how these players can behave this way with so many cameras on them. Son has to know millions of people will witness him acting with absolutely no shame. Though I do like Reguilon steaming into Zouma like the big man hadn’t just passed the ball to his teammate.
@JackRosie3: Shouldn’t be playing football if he’s that much of a tart
@Hammond_A: This is everything that is wrong with football there are to many players trying to cheat and con the referees
@MarcHammers06: That’s gotta sting 😂😂😂😂😂 would not last 30 seconds in a Sunday league game
@stevenpasha: That’s son out for 6 weeks
@CStallebrass: Career threatening injury there pmsl lol
@ramz5866: Didn’t he take a dive when he brushed into the referee as well 😂
@Oldman49036974: Spurs player running over like his mate got shot
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