Alan Shearer reacts to Son Heung-min display in Tottenham defeat

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Alan Shearer has criticised Son Heung-min after Tottenham Hotspur suffered North London derby disappointment on Saturday, telling Match of the Day that the forward’s final ball throughout the game was really poor.

Spurs tasted defeat for the first time in the Premier League this season. And in truth, their supporters may have been expecting such a result from the early moments of the contest.

Of course, Antonio Conte’s side are particularly devastating on the counter. However, something was clearly different about the way Arsenal had the visitors camped in during the early stages.

Son really poor

When they did break out, Tottenham were often unable to make the most of the openings. And the player who struggled most was Son. The South Korean’s passing was extremely poor.

Shearer certainly was not impressed. He initially looked at a ball meant for Kane which was played pretty much straight to Aaron Ramsdale.

There was then a moment when Son found Kane on the halfway line but showed little intent to get into the box as the move developed.

And finally, there was the opportunity to slide the ball to Richarlison who would have been one-on-one.

“That should be a simple pass for a guy of his ability. He overhits it, it’s a great position to be in. We’ve seen it so many times. And it was a really poor pass,” he told Match of the Day.

“Just watch his reaction. Into Kane, Kane knocks it off to the right. He doesn’t try to get into the box, Son. Nor does Perisic. He should be busting a gut to get in there.

“This is the easiest pass of the lot, or it should be. They’ve got them where they want to get them. It should be rolled in front of Richarlison. But again, it’s overhit.”

Forward’s form remains a concern for Conte

Conte’s hand was forced ahead of the derby with Dejan Kulusevski sustaining an injury. But it did seem likely that Son would come back into the side for the game anyway.

Of course, he scored a hat-trick after coming off the bench before the international break. And he continued scoring while with his national team.

So there would have been real hope that he had turned the corner after a poor start to the season.

Obviously, no Tottenham player will be happy with their display. But the worry for Spurs is that Son found himself in the ideal position on a few occasions.

Ultimately, the quality he has produced so often in his Tottenham career completely deserted him on Saturday.