A gutted Son Heung-min, the skipper of Tottenham, has confessed that the 6-3 thrashing by Liverpool was "very, very painful" following the Premier League frontrunners' emphatic win at the Tottenham Stadium. Mohamed Salah led the charge with a brace, matched by Luis Diaz, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also found the net.
Despite efforts from James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke, Spurs were left to rue an ignominious defeat on their own turf. Confronting the media in a post-match Sky Sports interview, the captain didn't mince his words, conceding that Spurs were outclassed by Arne Slot's men.
He lamented: "I'm very disappointed with the result and conceding six at home is not the idea. It's really, really painful. What can I say? As a footballer you always want to play but we've got to work hard and recover but we don't want to make any excuses."
When quizzed about Liverpool's quality, Son acknowledged their superiority, saying: "There's no question. They are top of the league you can see. Top players, top discipline. There's a reason they are top (of the Premier League). If you make any mistake, they punish you. They are a very very good side."
Amidst the fallout, Tottenham's adventurous style of play has come under scrutiny, with questions aimed at manager Ange Postecoglou regarding his tactical flexibility, especially given the absence of 10 first-team players.
Son, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, expressed his thoughts: "Football is always risky. When you sit back you sometimes concede goals. this is our plan so we've got to stick together in the good times and also the difficult times. Today was very painful for the players, fans and club. But we've got to move together and bounce back stronger."
Liverpool.com says: Son is absolutely right about Liverpool. Beating Spurs is one thing but scoring six (and realistically, it could have been a few more) is another level of statement. The Reds were excellent, particularly in the first half, and thoroughly deserved the emphatic margin of victory.