Son Heung-min discards the mask as Spurs take 2-0 loss to Aston Villa

Son Heung-min discarded his carbon-fiber constraints on Sunday and emerged from behind the mask for the first time in over a month, tossing the offending piece of polymer off the pitch midway through the first half of a game against Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min in action without his carbon-fiber protective face mask during a game against Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Son Heung-min discarded his carbon-fiber constraints on Sunday and emerged from behind the mask for the first time in over a month, tossing the offending piece of polymer off the pitch midway through the first half of a game against Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

But Son’s apparent return to full fitness was not enough to prevent Spurs from taking a humbling 2-0 loss at the hands of the Premier League’s 12th-place club.

It wasn’t so much a comedy of errors as a tragedy of mediocracy that saw Spurs fall two goals back in the second half on Sunday, marking the London club’s seventh consecutive game conceding at least two goals in the Premier League.

Son Heung-min discards his protective face mask during a game against Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. [EPA/YONHAP]

As lackluster as Tottenham have been in front of goal over the last few months, the London club has been equally unimpressive in defense and drab in midfield.

The fast-paced, high-scoring Spurs squad that took fourth place last season were nowhere to be seen on Sunday, falling back on the uninspiring middle-of-the-field play that every manager’s tenure seems to have fallen back on over the last decade.

Manager Antonio Conte, who is likely to be busy in the now-open January transfer window, made four changes from the team that drew at Brentford on Dec. 26, with World Cup winner Cristian Romero returning to the squad alongside runner-up Hugo Lloris. Ben Davies was also added to the starting lineup, as was Bryan Gil in his first Premier League start.

Villa frustrated Spurs from the start, sitting deep and frustrating the attacks while occasionally breaking for attempts on goal of their own.

It was not until the second half that Villa started to capitalize on the lack of coherent opposition.

Lloris was culpable for the first goal, poorly deflecting a Douglas Luiz shot to Ollie Watkins, who passed it to Emi Buendía to slot into the back of the net. That goal marked Spurs’ 10th-straight game conceding first, but this time there wasn’t one of the Lilywhites’ distinctive comebacks on the card.

Son Heung-min in action during a game against Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Spurs looked to really feel the absence of fresh legs on the attack, with both Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison out with injuries leaving Conte with few options to replace Gil. He opted for Ryan Sessegnon, who was unable to light a fire under the offense in the way that both Richarlison and Kulusevski so reliably do.

Son and Kane had very few opportunities and those they were able to cobble together were not at all competitive. More chances came at the other end of the field, where Douglas Luiz provided goal No. 2 after John McGinn lobbed the Spurs defense to get the ball to him.

When the final whistle blew it was to resounding boos around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Conte’s dramatic brand of Italian pragmatism has been met with an increasingly critical response from the stands in Tottenham, where immediate results have always been the most important factor.

Some British bookies now have the odds on Conte leaving Spurs at three-to-one, one of the highest among Premier League managers, although the club continues to back his approach. A spending spree this month could help turn things around, but there is an increasing sense that the clock is ticking.

“I’m not disappointed because the performance was a good performance,” Conte said after the game. “From the start to the end, I have seen the right commitment, the right intensity, the right desire to get three points, to win duels, to press high, to run.

“If you ask me, football is a bit strange because in the first half we dominated the game but despite this we didn’t create chances to score, because we found a team that defended really deep with 11 players.”

Conte also highlighted the issues on the attack, and in particular Son’s form, calling it a “really difficult situation.”

‘Then there is Kane, Son, Richarlison and Kulusevski,” Conte said. “When it happened that two of these [are injured], and this season it happened a few times, with Richarlison and Kulusevski, you are in trouble.

“Also Sonny has to continue to improve and it becomes difficult this situation.”

Son’s recent injury — an orbital fracture requiring surgery in November — is not the only concern with his form this season. Despite winning the 2021-22 Premier League Golden Boot with 23 goals, Son has scored just three times this season, all three goals coming during a game against Leicester on Sept. 17.

He has two assists and has otherwise been almost completely quiet since then.

Son and the Spurs squad only have a few days off before they’ll be back in action on Wednesday as they take on Crystal Palace on the road in south London.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]