Son Heung-min scores hat-trick as Spurs romp to 5-2 win over Burnley

Son Heung-min scored his first goal of the 2023-24 season in style on Saturday, bagging a hat-trick to lead Tottenham Hotspur to a 5-2 romp over Burnley on the road.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during a Premier League match against Burnley at Turf Moor in Burnley, England on Saturday. [AP/YONHAP]

Son Heung-min scored his first goal of the 2023-24 season in style on Saturday, bagging a hat-trick to lead Tottenham Hotspur to a 5-2 romp over Burnley on the road.

Son and James Maddison were the stars of the show, the English midfielder also scoring a goal of his own as he continues to prove to be a crucial disrupting presence at the center of the midfield.

Cristian Romero provided the other goal, poetically putting Ange Postecoglou’s entire leadership team on the scoreboard in a decisive victory just a few days after the Australian manager faced criticism as Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup.

“Today was a real testament to Sonny, Madders and [Cristian] Romero,” Postecoglou said after the game. The way they embraced that responsibility not just with words but with actions, and not just on game day but on a daily basis. That’s as encouraging for me as anything because as good as they are individually they have team spirit and that’s important for me.”

Saturday’s win at Turf Moor in Burnley, England started off looking like it could be a very different game. The home side struck first and hard, with Luca Koleosho sweeping down the wing to set up Lyle Foster for the first goal in only the fourth minute.

Spurs rallied quickly, with Pedro Porro and Son combining to get in behind the midfield in the 16th minute. A quick one-two with Manor Solomon gave the captain enough space to tap the ball over Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, and things were all tied up again.

Spurs looked confident throughout the first half, with Maddison driving a creative midfield that continued to create opportunities that Burnley were unable to adapt to. The chance for No. 2 finally came in stoppage time, when Burnley failed to clear a corner, allowing Maddison to fire a cross in that Romero was able to slot home.

With Spurs up 2-1 at half time, Burnley abandoned the offensive and switched to a back five, but the additional bodies in defense were unable to do much more than sit back and watch Son and Maddison go to work.

Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison, right, celebrates scoring their third goal with Son Heung-min during a Premier League game against Burnley at Turf Moor in Burnley, England on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The Englishman had his chance in the 54th minute, assisted by a tidy pass from Destiny Udogie. Maddison, outside the box and with room to breathe, took a touch to find his spot and then curled a long shot into the corner to take the score to 3-1.

Then it was Son’s turn again.

The Korean midfielder struck twice within the space of three minutes to complete his hat-trick, smashing in a well-placed pass from Solomon in the box in the 63rd minute and then converting another long ball from Porro in the 66th.

The hat-trick, the fourth of Son’s Premier League career, spelled the end of the game as far as most of the Burnley fans were concerned, with very few people left to see Josh Brownhill’s consolation goal in stoppage time 30 minutes later.

With the win, Spurs have now gone three in a row in the Premier League and are yet to pick up a league loss this season.

Although the north London club has faced fairly soft targets — Brentford, Bournemouth and Burnley, with Manchester United as the only potential outlier — the string of solid results seems to suggest that Ange Ball is working for Spurs, that Son is back on form after a tough season, that Maddison may prove to be the best signing of the summer, that Porro has finally found his feet and Udogie is a great addition and that under Romero’s leadership, the defense may actually have a chance.

“It was good today for sure,” Postecoglouy said. “Obviously going a goal down again you get tested and particularly after midweek you're looking for what kind of reaction the lads have. I thought they were outstanding in just staying really calm and clear headed and playing our football and we grew into the game.

“I've got a picture in my head of what I want the team to look like and I keep saying that we're still at the beginning, we're still building and there's still a lot to be done. It's about putting all the pieces together and at the same time not neglecting what's right in front of you.

“There are some really good footballers at this club and I think they have the ability to play in the way this team needs to set up. Sonny whether he's playing central or wide, he's got all the characteristics — mate he can play in any system — but the way we play he's ideal.”

The Premier League will now break for two weeks for the FIFA international break. For once that does not mean long, tiring flights for Son as Korea manager Jurgen Klinsmann is bringing the Korean team to him — Korea face Wales in Cardiff on Sept. 7 and Saudi Arabia in Newcastle on Sept. 12.

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