Pochettino heaps praise on goal hero Son

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino likened South Korean hero Heung-min Son to a battery who gives his all until he is ‘exhausted’ after his second goal in three days helped Tottenham move up into second place in the Premier League.

Son’s 83rd-minute winner against Newcastle this afternoon followed his strike at Wembley against Watford on Wednesday – when Spurs again left it late to secure all three points.

Pochettino said: “He pushes, never gives up, he always tries. His effort is always regular and consistent. Sonny is like a battery. He gives us everything. He gives you everything and when he is exhausted he tells you he needs a rest. He is a very complete player today and we are very pleased with his performances.”

Pochettino was pleased with Spurs’ late show and praised his players’ ability to fight until the end. He said: “We fully deserved the victory. We controlled the game and were patient. Newcastle were very organised and didn’t give us too much space but our positional play was good.

“Sometimes you need a bit of luck or some coincidence which happens in football, but for me the most important thing is the team is in a great level of belief, character and mentality. We are showing we can win in any stadium and at any club.

“Nobody would have believed that our squad would be in this position (second in the league) at the beginning of the season.

We do not need to be in this position to convince ourselves of the capacity to win (the league) but today we are (second) because we deserve to be there and we will see what happens in the future.”

But asked if he wanted Arsenal to win tomorrow against Manchester City – a result which would maintain Spurs’ position in second place, the Argentinian said with a smile: “No, why? Never. I am going to watch the game and see what happens.”