Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min said he could not be happier for goalscoring hero Richarlison as he spoke of the “really tight” dressing room under Ange Postecoglou.
Substitute Richarlison scored the equaliser and then set up the winner for Dejan Kulusevski as Spurs registered the latest comeback victory in Premier League history against Sheffield United.
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During the post-match celebrations Son made a point of pushing the popular Richarlison to the front so he could get the acclaim of Spurs’ supporters.
It came just days after the striker told Brazilian media he needed psychological help with issues on and off the field.
Son said: “Richy obviously had a very tough time, a tough season, but I was very, very happy. I was probably more happy than him.
“We need him as a team, he has really good quality but the confidence is massively different. For Richy I just wanted to give him the big hug he deserved.
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“It was tough for him and we all hoped that this game would help his confidence. He changed the whole game. That’s what we were waiting for.
“This (celebrations) is part of family. We always want to have a good time when we play with each other.
“He is a really strong guy, a good character and can always bounce back strong. But when you have a tough time you need good people around you. I always try to be a friend of him and if he needs anything then I can help him from my experience or playing-wise also. I think everyone is standing behind him helping.”
Son was made club captain by Ange Postecoglou in the summer, replacing Hugo Lloris.
He said the players were making his new job easy.
“I’m not the guy who is always talking and leading by words,” the 31-year-old added. “I try to be a good example to everybody but having this group of players is making my job really, really easy.
“We are getting really, really tight in the changing rooms. Everyone is working for each other, everyone is running for each other, everyone is fighting for each other.
“If someone comes off you give a hand off and everyone is happy to do that. That makes us really strong as a team and a group. We’re getting really close. We hope we can be even tighter than this.”
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(Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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