Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min told BT Sport last night that he was “really sorry” for his role in the serious injury suffered by Andre Gomes.
Son’s tackle on Everton’s Gomes in Sunday’s 1-1 draw left the Portuguese midfielder needing an operation on a fractured and dislocated ankle.
The South Korean was on the verge of tears as he left the field at Goodison Park, having been shown a red card by Martin Atkinson but that has since been overturned. In the aftermath, manager Mauricio Pochettino said that Son was “devastated” while Dele Alli admitted that his teammate “couldn’t pick his head up”, both quotes according to BBC Sport.
WATCH: Son Heung-min In Tears After Andre Gomes Horror Injury
Son picked himself up with a couple of goals in Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade, and this is what he said to BT Sport post match:
"Of course, I'm really sorry for this accident. I have to focus for the team as well."
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 6, 2019
Son finds solace on the pitch after a few difficult days.
🎤 @ReshminTV pic.twitter.com/8ftXVbNNt3
Everton confirmed in a statement on Monday that Gomes had undergone successful surgery, which may have helped put Son’s mind at rest.
All in the game. Hopefully he bags another couple of goals on Saturday.
Shedding a few tears doesn’t let him off the hook. The FA have shown how spineless they are in rescinding Son’s red card and indeed not adding one for Aurier.
Let’s put the incident into perspective from start to finish. Son clashed with Gomes in the Everton penalty area and Son was caught with an unintentional flailing arm. From there Gomes carried the ball forward into the Spurs half on the left wing with Son hunting him down, intent on revenge. The look on Son’s face as he slides in on Gomes says it all, he meant to “do” him, and did so. A tackle from behind with no intention to win the ball, red card all day long.
It didn’t end there, Gomes stumbled forward and planted his right foot flat on the groung where it was stamped on and rolled over by Aurier who also should have been red carded. VAR should have done better, but proved inadequite.