Sports

Son Heung-min strikes as Spurs move to fifth

Son Heung-min’s prolific start to the season continued with his 76th minute header giving Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win at winless Burnley in the Premier League on Monday and moving Jose Mourinho’s side up to fifth.

Sentinel Digital Desk

LONDON: Son Heung-min's prolific start to the season continued with his 76th minute header giving Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win at winless Burnley in the Premier League on Monday and moving Jose Mourinho's side up to fifth.

The South Korean was left unmarked at the back post to nod home his eighth league goal of the season after Harry Kane had flicked on an Erik Lamela corner to give Mourinho's side a third win in six games.

Kane had saved Spurs minutes earlier with a fine piece of defending as he cleared a goal-bound James Tarkowski header off the line.

Although Spurs always looked more comfortable on the ball it was Sean Dyche's side, who have just a point from their opening five games, who had come the closest.

Ashley Barnes had a 20th minute drive ruled out for offside and then Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris got down well to stop a low drive from Ashley Westwood.

Son is now the top scorer in the Premier League and Kane is becoming a leading creator with the assist his eighth of the campaign so far.

Mourinho's approach of asking Kane to play in a deeper role, often operating just behind Son and Lucas Moura, has produced the most potent attack in the league with 16 goals in six games.

"It is great, we need everyone to be scoring and assisting at the top end of the pitch. Me and Sonny have had a nice little partnership going recently and hopefully it continues," said Kane.

"Even today it was not an amazing assist but it fell well for Sonny and 1-0 away to Burnley is a fantastic result," he added.

Kane said the win, at a venue where they failed to win in the past two seasons, was a sign of real progress for Tottenham.

"It was a massive game today, it is not an easy place to come. It is going to be a tough game, a big battle and these are the games you need three points if you are going to be up there at the end of the season. Massive fight from the lads," he said.

Burnley look set for a long season but Dyche saw some encouraging signs in their display.

West Bromwich Albion salvaged a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion after a late strike from Karlan Grant cancelled out a Jake Livermore own goal.

The result left both sides close to the relegation zone, with Brighton 16th on five points from six games and West Brom 17th on three points as their winless start continued.

Livermore was unfortunate to get on the score sheet at the wrong end in the 40th minute as a desperate clearance by team mate Branislav Ivanovic cannoned off the midfielder's face into the back of the net after Tariq Lamptey's cross.

Visiting keeper Sam Johnstone had denied Leandro Trossard and Neil Maupay before West Brom fell behind, with the latter also guilty of poor finishing in the 30th minute when his first touch let him down.

West Brom pressed after the break and twice came close as home keeper Matthew Ryan saved a piledriver from Filip Krovinovic before Matheus Pereira shaved the outside of the post with another long-range effort.

Grant, who joined West Brom from Huddersfield Town during the close season, levelled with his first goal for the Baggies when he took a deflected pass into his stride and beat Ryan with an unstoppable shot into the top corner in the 83rd minute. Agencies