Son Heung-min fulfilled a childhood “dream' on Sunday by winning the Premier League Golden Boot after scoring twice in the 5-0 win at Norwich City which guaranteed Tottenham Hotspur a place in next season's Champions League.
Spurs needed to beat Norwich to be sure of fourth place in the Premier League table, and with rivals Arsenal thrashing Everton 5-1 at Emirates Stadium, Antonio Conte's side took no chances by claiming an emphatic victory at Carrow Road.
Dejan Kulusevski got the rout under way in the 16th minute before Harry Kane doubled Tottenham's advantage in the first half. Three goals followed after the break, with Swedish winger Kulusevski grabbing his second and Son scoring twice in the 70th and 75th minutes. Those were the 22nd and 23rd goals of the season for the South Korean forward, who shares the Golden Boot with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
“It’s incredible to have this award,” Son said. “I can’t believe it, I got really emotional. I dreamt of it as a child. Literally it’s my in hands. I can’t believe it.
“Until my goal I was really frustrated that I missed big chances,” he added. “I told the players I missed the easiest chances and scored one of the toughest tones. I didn’t give up, I wanted to score today. The team helped me a lot at half-time. They wanted to help me, you could see it today.”
Securing fourth and earning a place in the Champions League represents a fine turnaround for Tottenham since Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as manager in November, when the club were ninth in the standings, and Son has credited the Italian with turning around Spurs' fortunes.
“Conte gives us so many different things,” he said. “Before he came here nobody believed we’d reach the Champions League.”
Conte, who has won league titles in Italy with Juventus and Inter Milan and the Premier League as Chelsea manager, said guiding Tottenham into the Champions League ranks as the best achievement of his managerial career.
“It was a perfect day for us,” he said. “I think for a club like Tottenham to play Champions League is a great opportunity. It was not easy because in England the league is very difficult. There are many top teams. To get a place in the Champions League means we did something excellent.
“For me it was a big challenge, maybe the biggest challenge in my career. I wanted to prove myself in a different situation with a lot of problems to solve. I’m really satisfied. I want to thank my staff and my players. If we were able to reach this big achievement, it’s because everyone gave everything.”
