Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur), who said he would return to the pitch, played in his comeback match. The outlook for participating in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) final is bright.

On the 11th (Korean time), Tottenham faced Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, in the 36th round of the 2024-2025 English Premier League (EPL) season, losing 0-2.

As a result of this match, Tottenham (11 wins, 5 draws, 20 losses, 38 points) has fallen to 17th place. Although they have confirmed their survival regardless of the remaining match results, the ranking is indeed embarrassing.

Tottenham, with 20 losses in the EPL this season, has set an unfortunate record for the most losses in a single season since the EPL's inception in 1992, surpassing the 19 losses recorded in the 1993-1994 and 2003-2004 seasons.

Tottenham is focusing on winning the UEL rather than the EPL. They have reached the final and will contest a trophy against Manchester United on the 22nd. The league is essentially a secondary concern.

Still, a positive note is that Son Heung-min, who was out due to injury, marked his return in the match against Crystal Palace.

Son Heung-min had been sidelined for seven consecutive games due to a foot injury sustained in the second leg of the quarterfinals against Frankfurt on the 11th of last month. He also did not play in the second leg of the semifinals against Bodø/Glimt on the 9th.

Son Heung-min, who had been away from the pitch for a while, was substituted in for Porro when the team was trailing 0-2 in the match against Palace.

In the 25th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min attempted a surprise shot from the left side of the box, but it deflected off a defender. An offside was declared prior to that. In the 28th minute of the second half, he took a free-kick but was again blocked by the defense, failing to convert it into a goal.

Son Heung-min continued to struggle. In the 44th minute of the second half, he received a through pass and shot from the left side of the box, but once again, he was thwarted by the defense. The match concluded with Tottenham's two-goal loss without registering a goal.

According to the European football statistics site 'Footmob', Son Heung-min had 11 touches in 32 minutes (excluding stoppage time), with 1 shot, a passing success rate of 86% (6 successful / 7 attempts), 4 touches in the opponent's box, 2 passes in the attacking area, a long pass success rate of 100% (1 successful / 1 attempt), 1 defensive action, 0 chances created, a crossing success rate of 0% (0 successful / 1 attempt), and 2 instances of losing the ball.

'Footmob' gave Son Heung-min the lowest rating of 5.6 among Tottenham players who participated.

'Football London' noted, "Returning Son Heung-min was placed as a central forward, but had few opportunities to receive the ball. He was only given one chance at the end of the game after receiving a pass from Tel," awarding him a score of 5. It's not the lowest score on the team. Defender Spence received a score of 3, criticized for his shaky performance in the first half, losing the ball or failing in positioning, which allowed Palace several opportunities.

[OSEN]