Thursday 18 January 2018 17:31, UK
Heung-Min Son has been in scintillating form since scoring Tottenham's equaliser against Stoke in December. We check the stats behind his consistency...
Harry Kane may have scored twice to extend his league tally to 20 goals during the 4-0 win over Everton at the weekend - but it was Son's goal, assist and deft touch for Spurs' fourth that earned him the man-of-the-match accolade.
In the past, Son has produced one-off performances that dazzled, but the 25-year-old has now shone in three of his last four league outings.
Son scored and assisted twice during a 5-2 win over Southampton, netted Spurs' equaliser during a 1-1 draw against West Ham on New Year's Day, before scoring and assisting in the Everton goal fest on Saturday.
So has he finally found the consistency to be considered a key figure in the Tottenham supporting cast to Kane, alongside established duo Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli?
The South Korean joined Tottenham for £18m from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 but failed to make an impact in his first season at White Hart Lane.
Last season, Son burst from the blocks, though, stepping up his levels while Kane was out injured. He scored a goal on his first start of the campaign during a 4-0 demolition over Stoke and found the net again a fortnight later in a 2-1 win against Middlesbrough.
But Son's performances dipped following that result, as did his minutes on the pitch. He hit form again at the end of the season, scoring in a 4-0 win over Watford and helping his side smash then-reigning champions Leicester 6-1 at the King Power.
This season, Son opened his league account during a 4-1 win over Liverpool at Wembley in October and converted the match-winning goal against Crystal Palace in November.
Son kicked off his current goal streak with an equaliser at Watford in December and, since that game, has six goals and four assists from nine outings.
As testament to his performances, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has placed growing faith in Son - using him in 32 per cent of league games in 2015/16, 60 per cent last season and 70 per cent this term.
As a result, Son has come to the fore and, according to the Sky Sports Power Rankings, is currently on an unprecedented run of consistently strong form.
During 2015/16, Pochettino deployed Son on both wings, primarily on the right, and as a centre forward - with his average activity producing hot spots along the edge of the opposition's box.
However, the Argentine shifted Son primarily to the left wing for 2016/17, and his average activity has remained consistent since.
Since the shift, Son has typically operated down the left-hand third of the opposition's half. The graphic below shows Son's activity in each season - with 'activity' representing any player action on the pitch.
In terms of on-the-ball events, the graphic below shows how Son's average position has been more centralised than his overall activity, suggesting he collects the ball in central positions but spreads defences by running wide.
Son has surpassed Eriksen and Alli across a raft of attacking stats this season, per 90 minutes, including dribbles completed, goals, goals from outside the box, touches in the opposition's box and shots on target.
Spurs have scored 24 goals since December - more than league leaders City - and Son has been involved in 10 of those.
In addition, Son ranks 11th in the Premier League for being involved in a passage of play that ends with a goal scored - defined by Opta as open play goal-ending sequences' - having been involved in 1.1 per game, on average.
So should Son now be considered a key part of the Tottenham attack? The stats suggest he probably should, after becoming a match-winning figure.
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