Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has criticized Son Heung-min for his tackle on Fulham defender Kenny Tete during the Premier League match on Monday night.
Sherwood referred to the tackle as a “coward’s tackle” and said that it deserved a red card instead of the yellow card that was given by the on-field referee.
The incident occurred in the first half of the match, which was still scoreless at the time.
Despite the use of VAR, the decision was not overturned, and Sherwood has questioned why Son wasn’t given his marching orders.
He also mentioned that the tackle was out of character for Son and that the player needs to regain the form he had last season.
The game ended in a 1-0 win for Tottenham, with Son assisting the only goal of the game.
However, it needs to be noted that if Fulham had won the match, they would have moved above Tottenham in the league table.
While discussing the ‘shocking’ tackle as a pundit on the Premier League’s Production, Sherwood said:
“More than fortunate (to be on the pitch), it’s a red card. 100% red card. A coward’s tackle. He thinks he is going to get kicked, then he just goes over the top of the ball.
This is a shocking tackle. High, it could break the leg of the Fulham defender, Tete. Terrible, terrible challenge.
How VAR has looked at that and decided not to send him off, I don’t know. That is such a bad tackle.
“For me, it’s out-of-character. You don’t see that often. You can tell by his face.”
Former player Michael Owen also commented on the incident, stating:
“The referee is in a good position to see it. Of course, it always looks worse in slow motion. But you have seen plenty of people sent off for that challenge.”
Overall, from a Tottenham perspective, it was a much better performance against a team that has fared well since their promotion under Marco Silva this season.
However, while Conte’s team’s defence was excellent, players like Son are still searching for the magic of last season.
And Conte will hope that Son regains the form as soon as possible with Champions League and FA Cup games coming up.
