EPL: Son hits hat-trick as Tottenham thrash Villa to punish Arsenal, Man Utd

Tottenham have tightened their grip on fourth spot in the Premier League with a 4-0 win against Aston Villa, giving them a three-point cushion over Arsenal in fifth.

With their north London rivals losing 2-1 to Brighton earlier in the afternoon, Spurs came into this game knowing that they could gain a potentially decisive edge in the race for top four. They made the perfect start to the match, scoring the opener after only three minutes.

Eric Dier lofted a long ball up from the back which Ezri Konsa could only clear as far as Harry Kane, who tried to hit one on the volley. It looked to be bouncing harmlessly wide but took a ricochet off Matty Cash and fell for Son Heung-min, who smashed a shot in off the inside of the post.

Spurs were lucky to hold the lead at half time, however, with Villa outplaying them for much of the first half. Jacob Ramsey set the tone when he ghosted past Emerson Royal and Cristian Romero inside the box, unleashing a shot from close range which Hugo Lloris somehow managed to shovel over the crossbar.

Spectacular saves from Lloris became a recurring theme, with the veteran goalkeeper averting a long-range screamer from John McGinn soon afterwards. Come half-time he had also denied Cash, Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins and Philippe Coutinho, with Ings also spurning an excellent opportunity when he turned wide after Watkins had found him with a flick-on to the back post.

Villa had tallied 14 shots at the break, with seven on target, which spoke to their first-half dominance. Nonetheless the second half began in near-identical fashion to the first and, five minutes in, the hosts found themselves 2-0 down.

This time it was Lloris with the long ball upfield, with Kane nodding it down for Dejan Kulusevski. He went round Cash and Tyrone Mings and, from a narrowing angle, rifled a shot past Emi Martinez and into the far corner.

Raking balls from the back proved to be Spurs’ most effective weapon, with Son scoring his second from a similar situation. Romero lofted a pass to Kane, whose flicked header sent the South Korean forward one-on-one before he beat Martinez once again.

Son completed his hat-trick with just under 20 minutes to play. A lovely passing move ended with Kulusevski teeing him up on the edge of the area and, from there, he scored with another shot which kissed the goal frame.

Having seen their first-half promise vanish into thin air, Villa meandered, dazed, to the final whistle. They have now lost four in a row in the Premier League and, while Spurs can congratulate themselves on a job well done, Steven Gerrard has much work to do before the end of the season.