LONDON: Son Heung-min scored his 100th goal for Tottenham Hotspur as they returned to winning ways with a 3-0 defeat of Leeds United to climb back into the Premier League’s top four on Saturday.

The South Korean doubled Tottenham’s lead just before the interval after strike partner Harry Kane’s penalty had given the hosts the lead on a crisp winter day in north London.

Toby Alderweireld’s header made it 3-0 in the 50th minute.

Tottenham, who topped the table in December, had gone four league games without a win, but a comfortable victory over Leeds sent them into third spot with 29 points from 16 games.

The only blemish was having defender Matt Doherty dismissed in the 90th minute for a second yellow card.

Leeds had enjoyed the better chances until Kane’s 29th-minute penalty, awarded for a foul on Steven Bergwijn, and enjoyed a far larger share of possession. But Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s hopes of starting the year with a third consecutive win were dashed as their defensive frailties returned. They remain in mid-table with 23 points from 17 games.

Manchester United closed in on the Premier League’s pole position after a 2-1 home win over Aston Villa on Friday put them level on points and games played with champions and leaders Liverpool.

United trail their traditional rivals on goal difference with both teams on 33 points from 16 matches.

United stretched their unbeaten league run to 10 games as Bruno Fernandes capped another fine individual performance with a penalty after Bertrand Traore had cancelled out Anthony Martial’s opener for the home side. The hosts had the upper hand in the first half and Martial forced an acrobatic save from Emiliano Martinez before he buried a superb diving header past the Villa goalkeeper after Aaron-Wan Bissaka’s cross in the 40th minute.

The visitors came close through Ollie Watkins before Traore got on the end of a sharp Jack Grealish pass at the far post and beat United keeper David De Gea with a slick shot from close range in the 58th.

But Villa’s joy was short-lived as Fernandes drilled his penalty into the bottom right corner three minutes later after Paul Pogba went down under a challenge from Douglas Luiz, with the spot-kick given after a VAR check.

A late rocket from Tomas Soucek gave West Ham United a 1-0 win at Everton in the first Premier League game of 2021 that had been short on fireworks until the Czech midfielder’s well-deserved winner in the 86th minute. The Hammers lost goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to injury during the warm-up but his replacement Darren Randolph barely had a save to make as Everton struggled to break down their rearguard.

West Ham wasted some decent chances until Soucek struck late, first forcing Jordan Pickford to parry a shot before reacting quickest to steer home Aaron Cresswell’s deflected effort for a goal that gave West Ham boss David Moyes his first victory at Goodison Park since leaving Everton in 2013.

The win leaves West Ham 10th in the table with 26 points while Everton, who could have gone second with a win, remain in fourth spot on 29 points.

Published in Dawn, Jannuary 3rd, 2021