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Tottenham's Son Heung Min repays support for tragic week with brace

Spurs forward says working even harder is his way of respecting injured Gomes

Son Heung Min said he had repaid the support shown to him by teammates and fans by scoring twice in a 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade, just days after being involved in an incident that saw Everton midfielder Andre Gomes break his ankle.

The South Korean's red card for the challenge on Gomes in Sunday's 1-1 draw was rescinded, with the damage inflicted by the way the Portuguese midfielder fell after being tripped by Son.

Son left the field in tears and had to be consoled by Everton captain Seamus Coleman, with teammates saying he was "devastated".

However, he was still selected by Mauricio Pochettino for yesterday morning's (Singapore time) Champions League Group B encounter with Red Star and responded with two goals in four second-half minutes.

Giovani Lo Celso and Christian Eriksen bagged a goal each.

"I'm so sad this happened. It was a really tough few days but, with my teammates, I realised how lucky I am," Son, who clasped his hands together apologetically after scoring, told BT Sport.

"Everyone kept me so strong. I still feel really sorry about this accident and this situation, but I had to focus for the team as well.

"This is my right answer to all the people who supported me. I want to pay them back on the pitch. That's all I can do. I want to respect Gomes as well, and this is how I show respect - by working harder than in the past."

Victory for Tottenham was their first away from home since May - a run spanning nine matches in all competitions.

However, Spurs are well on course for the Champions League last 16, as they moved four points clear of Red Star into second place in Group B, behind already-qualified Bayern Munich.

Another positive takeaway from yesterday's win came in the form of Lo Celso, who opened the scoring for Tottenham on his full debut.

"It was a very good display," Pochettino said.

"It's always difficult for a new player when he arrives... I am happy because he is a very good player with great personality. Now, he needs only time."

Added defender Juan Foyth on Spurs TV: "Gio played a fantastic game. He managed the ball very well. He scored and created many chances. He is a great guy, perfect player. We have enjoyed having him in our team and he's going to help us a lot."

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