Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou took full responsibility after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to previously winless Ipswich Town in the Premier League. 

Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap gave Ipswich a 2-0 lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs fell short, despite Rodrigo Bentancur returning a goal in the second half.  

It was Tottenham's third defeat in their last five matches across all competitions and leaves Postecoglou's side in 10th place in the Premier League with 16 points from 11 matches. 

"It's hugely disappointing. We started slow and passively. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. In the second half, we had chances but didn’t do enough to win the game," the Australian coach told BBC Sport after the game. 

His side had also suffered a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday. 

The hosts generated an xG of 1.82 on Sunday with five shots on target from 17 attempts, but were unable to take anything from the game.

"It's just down to me, I’m not getting consistent performances from the players. It’s something I need to address. I’m the person in charge, so that’s usually the way it goes. I take responsibility," said Postecoglou. 

"We can’t give ourselves those kind of mountains to climb." 

When asked about Ipswich's time-wasting tactics, Postecoglou said it is something his players will have to deal with. 

"It seems to be the way the Premier League is going. Clubs are taking strategic time-outs. We just have to cop it. It’s up to the officials, not me," he said. 

Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury and will be out of action for Tottenham until after the international break, head coach Ange Postecoglou has revealed.

Van de Ven left the pitch in tears while clutching the back of his right leg 14 minutes into Tottenham’s EFL Cup victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.

While Postecoglou confirmed the fears of Spurs fans, he was optimistic about the prognosis with the defender not expected to be out for a long stretch.

"Micky has strained a hamstring. It's not too serious, but it will probably be after the international break for him [to return]," the Spurs boss told reporters ahead of his side's clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.

"He was disappointed. Obviously, he was really looking forward to the game, so he was a bit emotional, but it is definitely not a bad one like last time that kept him out for quite a while.

"He will work hard, and the good thing is we've got the international break, which is an extra two weeks. Hopefully, it means he won't miss too much football."

Van de Ven has featured in eight of Tottenham's nine Premier League games this season and has been a reassuring presence in defence.

Indeed, he has made the second most clearances (23) and blocks (four) in the squad, only second to Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro respectively.

There was, however, positive news about skipper Heung-min Son, who was absent during Spurs' defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend.

"Sonny trained [on Friday], so if he gets through training [on Saturday], he should be OK," Postecoglou added.

Heung-min Son will miss Tottenham's Europa League clash with AZ, head coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The Spurs skipper returned from a hamstring injury during their victory over West Ham at the weekend, but was absent from training on Wednesday.

Postecoglou said Son would not be risked for the visit of the Eredivisie side on Thursday, with Tottenham aiming to make it three wins from three, having opened their campaign with victories over Qarabag and Ferencvaros.

Although, Richarlison is available and could make his first start of the season, after returning from injury as a substitute against West Ham. 

"Sonny was a bit sore after the weekend," Postecoglou told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "He was never going to be involved tomorrow. [We will] leave him out of tomorrow, and see how he is from there.

"Richy got through this weekend really well, [he is into] almost the second week of training now. [He is] ready to go in terms of being available.

"We've started the competition really well so far, [with] different challenges in both games. We've exposed some of our young players to European football, a positive growth from that.

"From our perspective - here at home - it's a good opportunity to continue our form."

A rampant second-half performance saw Tottenham ease to a 4-1 win over London rivals West Ham on Saturday, easing the pressure on boss Ange Postecoglou.

Mohammed Kudus put West Ham ahead early on, firing home at the back post following good work from Jarrod Bowen on the Hammers' right, only for Dejan Kulusevski to fire in off the post to level in the 36th minute. 

Under-fire head coach Postecoglou surprisingly withdrew James Maddison at half-time despite the England man assisting the equaliser, but that change paid off as Spurs swiftly pulled clear.

Yves Bissouma swept home in the 52nd minute, then Son Heung-min's shot deflected off both Jean-Clair Todibo and Alphonse Areola before creeping in for an own goal.

Son then made it three goals in an eight-minute span to kill the contest, racing onto a pass from Maddison's replacement Pape Sarr before finishing at the near post.

To add to West Ham's woes, Kudus was sent off for violent conduct late on, with the VAR intervening to recommend an on-field review after he raised his hands to Micky van de Ven's face.

Julen Lopetegui's visitors drop to 14th in the Premier League table with eight points, while Tottenham go sixth with 13 ahead of Saturday's other fixtures.

Data Debrief: Kulusevski takes centre-stage

It was certainly a surprise to see Maddison withdrawn at half-time, after he drove over halfway to assist Kulusevski's equaliser.

He became just the second Tottenham player on record (since 2003-04) to create five or more chances in a Premier League game while playing 45 minutes or fewer, after Darren Anderton versus Fulham in August 2003 (five chances created in 32 minutes).

However, Postecoglou's switch certainly paid off as Kulusevski shone in a number 10 role.

His clever reverse pass allowed Son in to force the own goal, while the Swede also led all players on the pitch for dribbles (six), duels contested (15) and won (eight) and possession regains (eight) in an all-action display.

A defiant Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham have enough to win trophies this campaign as he "always wins things in his second year".

Gabriel Magalhaes scored the decisive goal for the Gunners in the 64th minute, profiting from some slack defending on a corner as he thumped in the winner.

Spurs had the better chances, especially in the first half, finishing the game with 15 shots overall, more than double what Arsenal managed (seven).

The hosts also dominated possession with 63.7% and entered the final third 62 times, but as they did against Leicester City on the opening day, they struggled to take their chances.

Asked if he thought his team had enough to challenge for silverware this season, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year," he told Sky Sports. "Nothing's changed. I don't say things unless I believe it."

Postecoglou has failed to beat Arsenal in three Premier League attempts and was left to lament their lack of a clinical edge after the match.

"It's very disappointing in a big game for us and our supporters. We didn't deliver so you have to take the pain from that," he added.

"It has been the story of our season so far, we played in their half and created chances, but we lack a bit of belief in the final third. That's what we need to fix. It was always going to be decided in moments, and they capitalised on theirs.

"It's me who has to give the guys the way forward. It's not for a lack of trying by the lads, we are just going through this early part of the season where we are playing well but not getting rewards for it.

"We handled set-pieces pretty well, but we switched off for one and paid the price."

Son Heung-min made his 19th Premier League appearance in the North London derby, with only Sol Campbell (22) playing in more among outfield players.

The Spurs captain struggled to make an impact though, worth just 0.04 expected goals (xG), and he echoed Postecoglou's frustrations.

"We dominated the game; the football was there, we just conceded from a set-piece again. We did it last season, and it is really frustrating," Son said.

"I am sure the fans are also very disappointed. We have to improve, 100%. It's a tough moment and we have to stick together.

"We are getting into the final third, but the players have to take the responsibility to score. It is the hardest part of football, making the right decision and being clinical.

"We will bounce back strong, there is a long way to go."

The Premier League is back following the first international break of the season, and Sunday's headline fixture looks to be worth the wait as Tottenham host Arsenal.

The first North London Derby of the campaign comes after disappointing results for both sides on matchday three, with Arsenal losing early ground on Manchester City and Liverpool as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton.

Ange Postecoglou's Spurs, meanwhile, were beaten 2-1 at Newcastle United, leaving them three points behind their rivals in the early-season standings.

What can we expect as these North London heavyweights go head-to-head for local bragging rights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

By diving into the Opta data, we can bring you all the best pre-match facts, figures and storylines.

What's expected?

Arsenal have had the upper hand in the North London Derbies of late, and the Opta supercomputer makes them slight favourites despite the absence of home advantage.

They were victorious in 40% of the supercomputer's 10,000 pre-match simulations, with Tottenham triumphing in 34.1% and the remaining 26% finishing all square. 

Arsenal have won their last two Premier League away games against Tottenham, as many as in their previous 17 such visits (six draws and nine defeats). They last won three consecutive away North London Derbies between January 1987 and September 1988.

Draws have been a rarity at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has seen the lowest percentage of draws (9%, 9/101) of any ground in Premier League history, so perhaps we should not expect the spoils to be shared. 

When will Tottenham stop being Spursy?

The adjective 'Spursy' is not one any team wishes to be tagged with, coming to denote a side that flatters to deceive and ultimately falls short of expectations.

Postecoglou has made no secret of his desire to cast that perception aside and make Tottenham true contenders, but their start to 2024-25 has thrown up several familiar themes.

Spurs were utterly dominant on matchday one but could not hold onto a 1-0 lead at newly promoted Leicester City, starting their second straight season under Postecoglou with an underwhelming draw.

After routing hapless Everton, they were then beaten 2-1 at Newcastle despite firing off 20 shots to the hosts' nine, also enjoying 65.7% possession and playing almost as many passes in the final third (235) as Newcastle did overall (261). 'Spursy' indeed.

The North London Derby is a fixture in which Tottenham have struggled lately, losing five of their last seven Premier League meetings with Arsenal (one win and one draw).

That is more defeats than they suffered in their previous 16 against their rivals (six wins, six draws and four defeats).

These fixtures have so often been an acid test of Spurs' resilience, and they must improve their defending for a matchup that has not featured many clean sheets lately. 

Arsenal versus Tottenham has seen both teams score more often than any other fixture in Premier League history (43 times), while it is also the fixture to see the team who scored first fail to win more often than any other (29 times, 19 draws and 10 losses).

Can Gunners replace Rice?

There was much for Mikel Arteta to be frustrated about as Arsenal dropped their first points of the campaign last time out, squandering a 1-0 lead in a 1-1 draw with Brighton.

But it could be that the sending-off of Rice, who received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away early in the second half, proves more of an inconvenience than the result.

The first red card of Rice's Premier League career – coming on his 245th appearance in the competition – has handed Arteta a major selection dilemma in the engine room.

Rice started 37 of the Gunners' 38 Premier League games last season, appearing as a substitute in the other. It is often said that availability is the best ability, and Rice's 3,230 Premier League minutes in 2023-24 were only bettered by eight other outfielders – team-mate William Saliba (with a full 3,420) among them.

With Rice patrolling the midfield, Arsenal were a picture of control last season, giving up the joint-fourth fewest fast breaks in the Premier League (23) and the joint-fifth fewest shots from fast breaks (20).

Thomas Partey and Jorginho, the men likely to be tasked with holding the fort, will come up against a Spurs side with plenty of pace in transition, and the likes of Son Heung-min, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson will be desperate to exploit his absence.

Tottenham scored three goals from 25 fast breaks in Premier League action last term, finding the net every 8.3 fast breaks on average – only eight teams netted from such situations at a greater frequency.

Rice did much to help Arsenal build the Premier League's most fearsome defence last term, and they approach Sunday's game with eight shutout victories in their last 10 away league games (nine wins, one draw).

Elsewhere, captain Martin Odegaard is a doubt after sustaining an injury on international duty with Norway, with their absences potentially handing Spurs a golden opportunity.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Tottenham – Son Heung-min

Tottenham skipper Son has scored eight goals against Arsenal in all competitions. In the history of the fixture, only Harry Kane (14), Emmanuel Adebayor (10) and Bobby Smith (10) have netted more North London Derby goals than the South Korean.

Seven of Son's North London Derby goals have come in the Premier League, with no other current Spurs player boasting more than two strikes against the Gunners in the competition.

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Saka scored home and away goals against Tottenham in the Premier League last season. The only previous Arsenal players to score in three or more consecutive North London Derby appearances in the competition are Emmanuel Adebayor (five between 2006 and 2008) and Robert Pires (four between 2002 and 2004).

Saka has also been involved in more attacking sequences than any other Arsenal player in the Premier League this term (22 – 10 shots, seven chances created and five build-up involvements), scoring once against Wolves on matchday one.

Yves Bissouma scored on his return to the side and Son Heung-min netted twice as Tottenham trashed Everton 4-0 on Saturday for their first win of the 2024-25 Premier League season. 

Spurs were held 1-1 by Leicester City in their opening match but showed no such signs of profligacy against Everton, with Bissouma setting the tone inside 14 minutes with a 20-yard rocket – his first goal for the club. 

Jordan Pickford's howler 11 minutes later after dallying too long on the ball gifted Son a simple finish at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Everton, beaten 3-0 by Brighton in their opening match last week, caved under the pressure. 

Everton offered a little more attacking impetus in the second period with the arrival of recent signings Dame Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom, the latter forcing Guglielmo Vicario into a rare save.

However, Cristian Romero's towering header on his 100th Tottenham appearance put the hosts out of reach on 71 minutes, followed soon after by Son's second after a brilliant run from Micky van de Ven. 

Everton remain planted to the bottom of the early standings as one of four sides with zero points after two matches, while Tottenham have four points from their two games. 

Data Debrief: Everton remain pointless

Everton have now lost their opening two games by an aggregate 7-0 scoreline, with this marking the first occasion they have lost their first two games in a top-flight season by three-plus goals in their history.

It is a familiar losing feeling for the Toffees, as they become just the second side to taste defeat in their opening two Premier League games in three successive campaigns after Bournemouth between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Son played a massive part in Tottenham's victory, with his double meaning he has scored multiple goals in 20 different Premier League games for Tottenham - only Harry Kane (47) has done so more times for the club.

Son Heung-min believes he must win a trophy at Tottenham to assume legendary status at the club.

The South Korean has been an inspirational figure at Spurs since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015, scoring 162 goals in 409 games.

However, a trophy has proved elusive for both him and the club, with runners-up finishes in the 2018-19 Champions League and 2020-21 EFL Cup, but Son still hopes he can lift silverware before his time at Spurs is over to leave a lasting impression.

He told BBC Sport: “I don’t think I’m a legend of this club. As I’ve said, I want to win something with Spurs, then I will be happy to be called [a] legend.

“This is one thing I want to do. I joined Spurs to win a trophy so I hope we can make it special for this season.”

The South Korean predominantly led the line for his side in Ange Postecoglou’s first season but is happy to return to a wide left role in 2024-25, in order to accommodate new striker Dominic Solanke.

He said: “It’s the gaffer’s choice. I will do anything for him. I think I already said if you put me as the keeper, I would be a keeper.

“You’re facing different teams in the Premier League; some are sitting back, and it can be really tough for me to even get a shot off.

“I like to prepare on the left side to create something and in one-on-one situations, something which I think I’m really strong at, but in an open game I don’t mind staying in the middle.”

Son has now been captain at the club for over a year since Hugo Lloris’ departure and has relished the added responsibility throughout that time.

“It’s been good," he said. "We were learning a lot of things last year.

"Being a captain of a Premier League team takes a lot of responsibility, it’s hard dealing with young players, it’s like school! But it’s a joy and I’m still learning – it’s not easy but it’s a good thing to do.”

Son Heung-Min scored a first-half brace as Tottenham continued their perfect run in pre-season with a 4-3 victory over Team K League in South Korea on Wednesday.

On home soil, the forward scored twice in 10 minutes, with Dejan Kulusevski and Will Lankshear also hitting the target for Ange Postecoglou's side.

Oberdan set the game up for a nervy finish after Stanislav Iljutcenko's double, but they could not find a winner at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Kulusevski got the ball rolling, latching onto Son's saved effort before picking out the bottom corner to edge Spurs in front before the South Korean delighted the crowd with two clinical finishes.

Second-half substitute Iljutcenko scored two goals in as many minutes shortly after his introduction, though Lankshear stuck out a leg to give Spurs a two-goal cushion with 23 minutes to go.

Oberdan's strike was the pick of the bunch, with a wonderful looping volley from outside the box after Spurs failed to clear a corner, and Brandon Austin had no chance of stopping it from hitting the back of the net. 

Data Debrief: Perfect homecoming for Son

Son certainly made his mark in his 63 minutes on the pitch in Seoul, having the joint-most shots (four), with all of them on target, and his expected goals of 0.56 was only bettered by Lankshear (0.74).

Postecoglou could not have asked for a better pre-season, with Spurs winning all five of their pre-season friendlies so far. With a double-header against Bayern Munich to come before their Premier League opener away at Leicester City, the North London side look to be in good nick.

Mikel Arteta is looking to prove the Opta supercomputer wrong as Arsenal prepare for perhaps the biggest test of their Premier League title credentials, in Sunday's North London derby at Tottenham.

Arsenal began the weekend one point clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, though Pep Guardiola's men have a game in hand and have been in ominous form lately, winning their last four league matches. 

Five wins for City will ensure they retain their crown, and according to the Opta supercomputer, the champions started the weekend with a 71.7% chance of topping the pile, compared to 26.6% for Arsenal and just 1.7% for Liverpool.

Arteta hopes to see Arsenal's figure boosted by a derby win, saying: "I don't know what to say, hopefully we can trick that computer and make it a bit higher! 

"Maybe it needs to update the software, we need to help it or give it more tools. Hopefully we can change that!

"We are there. We have to look at ourselves and try to perform in the best possible way to win our matches and I can't wait to see what happens.

"We had a big win in the last London derby against Chelsea and now we have another big one. I'm sure if we're going to win the league, we're going to have to beat Spurs as well."

Tottenham, meanwhile, need points if they are to overhaul Aston Villa in the battle for Champions League qualification, with fifth place now extremely unlikely to be enough.

Ange Postecoglou, though, is more interested in seeing how Spurs measure up to a side they hope to challenge in the future.

"We understand the importance of the game but ultimately, it's still about us measuring ourselves against the teams we want to be challenging on a more consistent basis," Postecoglou said.

"It's a great opportunity to do that on Sunday."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – Son Heung-min 

Son scored twice for Spurs in the reverse fixture against Arsenal in September – a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium. In all competitions, only five players have scored more goals in the fixture's history than Son's seven. 

The only player to score multiple goals in both north London derby matches in a league season was Arsenal's Ted Drake, who did so back in 1934-35.

Arsenal – Martin Odegaard 

Odegaard has been involved in six goals in his last six away appearances in the Premier League, scoring three and assisting three.

The Gunners captain was in mesmerising form in Tuesday's 5-0 win over Chelsea, leading all players on the pitch for assists (two), chances created (eight), passes into the final third (34) and duels won (eight). A repeat performance would be huge for the visitors' title hopes.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Tottenham have won just one of their last six Premier League games against Arsenal (one draw, four defeats), with their four losses in this span as many as they had suffered in their previous 16 against the Gunners (six wins, six draws).

They also lost this exact fixture 2-0 last season, meaning the Gunners could win on back-to-back league trips to Tottenham for the first time since enjoying a run of three victories there between 1987 and 1988.

Arteta's men know there is no margin for error with the title race in City's hands.

Even a draw could prove fatal to their hopes – at the end of the 2015-16 season, the North London derby was the most drawn fixture in Premier League history, with 20 of 48 meetings finishing level (42 per cent). Since then, only four matches between these rivals have seen the points shared (27 per cent).

Arsenal have kept six straight clean sheets on their travels in the Premier League, with only two teams ever keeping seven in a row – Chelsea from September to December 2008 and Manchester United from November to February in 2008-09. The Gunners should have enough to grind out a huge win.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 31%

Arsenal – 41.3% 

Draw – 27.7%

Son Heung-min proved the hero as South Korea defeated Australia 2-1 in extra time to progress to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup.

Victory kept alive South Korea's hopes of a third Asian Cup title and a first since 1960, as they teed up a last-four tie with Jordan, who beat Tajikistan 1-0.

South Korea had to do it the hard way at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday, after Craig Goodwin volleyed Australia ahead in the first half.

Hwang Hee-chan’s stoppage-time penalty forced extra time, however, with Son's spectacular free-kick in the 104th minute securing the win, with Aiden O'Neill's VAR-awarded red card then compounding Australia's frustration.

"This isn't really the way we want to win matches but we were ready to battle hard," Son said.

"Winning this way will help with the morale of the whole team. I was really touched by the sacrifices that everyone on the team made. Each and every one of the team deserves to be complimented."

Australia goalscorer Goodwin said: "We were one minute away from going through.

"If we had taken those chances, we could have put the game to bed but Korea is a great team with great players and we gave them some opportunities from set-pieces that we didn't need to. And when they have quality like that with Son, they punished us."

South Korea's victory came after Jordan had snapped the dream run of tournament debutants Tajikistan.

Vahdat Hanonov's own goal midway through the second half proved decisive at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

Mousa Tamari had the chance to extend Jordan's lead but the winger shot just wide from inside the area.

Richarlison is not capable of filling the hole Harry Kane has left at Tottenham, according to former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp.

Kane joined Bayern Munich for a Bundesliga-record €117million (£100m) earlier this month, leaving Tottenham as the club's all-time top goalscorer having netted 280 times in 435 appearances in all competitions, including 30 in 38 Premier League games last season as Spurs finished a disappointing eighth.

Kane's departure has left Tottenham fans concerned over their attacking options for this season, with the striker's impressive output last term making up for disappointing campaigns from the likes of Son Heung-min and Richarlison, who only scored 11 league goals between them.

Richarlison particularly struggled in his first season with Spurs, netting just once in the Premier League after joining from Everton for £60m, and Redknapp doubts whether the Brazil international can step up in Kane's absence.

"[Richarlison] can't fill Harry [Kane's] boots," Redknapp told Stats Perform. "No, he's not on the same level as Harry Kane.

"He's got to do better than what he did last year for sure. He's played for the Brazilian team and is a regular for them, he played at the World Cup. [He] scored goals at Everton, did okay there.

"I think Son will play through the middle. They'll let him off the leash and stick him through the middle. I think that's where he wants to play. He'll score goals, he will get between 15 and 20 goals, I think. 

"But Harry Kane and Son together is definitely better than Son on his own. So that is the problem."

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy decided to cash in on Kane with a year left on the striker's contract, a decision that Redknapp understands but does not necessarily agree with, adding: "It's difficult. Daniel had that problem with him at the end of the year as a free agent.

"So do you wait and let him walk away for free, or do you take the 100 million? Could he have bought in that type of money by just staying this year and getting them back in the Champions League? Quite possibly.

"I thought Tottenham made some good signings, [James] Maddison coming in would be a big plus for Harry. He'd supply and make goals for him.

"[It is a] difficult one, but Daniel does what he feels is right for the football club at the end of the day, and he obviously feels it's better to take the 100 million now than get nothing at the end of the season."

Kane's exit is one of several big changes at Spurs, with former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou appointed ahead of this season as Tottenham bid to return to the top four.

Redknapp feels Postecoglou is in for a baptism of fire in Premier League management, having to cope without Kane in a league that will prove to be very competitive at the top end again, explaining: "He's got a great job. He's got a result as he's come from nowhere, really, in the last few years to manage Celtic and then manage Tottenham.

"I like him. When I see him, I like him an awful lot. It looks good. He's a good character. And I think he'll do a good job. I suppose when he came he always knew that he would have Harry for a year at most.

"I'm sure he's excited with the players he's working with, it will be the best players he's ever worked with anyway. 

"He's never worked with a squad of players near that standard before. It's going to be a tougher division this year and he needs time.

"There's Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle [United] and Tottenham. Seven teams here scrapping it out for four places.

"I think Spurs will be okay. I think Maddison was a great signing. They just took the centre-half now, the Dutchman [Micky van de Ven], who is supposed to be a good player. They'll bring two or three more in.

"They will be pushing for a top-four place, [but] whether they can make it without Harry Kane, I'm not sure now."

Son Heung-min says Tottenham knew there could be no repeat of an "unacceptable" St James' Park humiliation as they fought back to draw 2-2 with Manchester United.

Spurs' hopes of securing a top-four Premier League finish were rocked by a 6-1 hammering at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Interim boss Cristian Stellini was relieved of his duties after that drubbing on Tyneside, with Ryan Mason taking the hotseat until the end of the season.

Tottenham looked to be in danger of suffering another mauling when they trailed the Red Devils 2-0 following goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

But they rallied in the second half to salvage a point at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, Pedro Porro halving the deficit and Son equalising after being set up by Harry Kane.

Son said: "We wanted to give everything and that was the dressing room speech.

"We couldn't let the game go. We were really angry about it, we didn't deserve to be 2-0 down at half-time.

"The last week was unacceptable and we didn't want to repeat that. We feel really, really sorry for the performance and result and we wanted to bring a good energy.

"We really appreciated [the fans'] support and they were fighting with us."

Ryan Mason has a Tottenham team "willing to fight" for their place in the upper echelons of the Premier League after a comeback draw with Manchester United.

Goals from Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min helped the interim boss break the club's losing streak in the first game in charge after replacing Cristian Stellini

Mason is no stranger to the Spurs hot seat, having been caretaker following Jose Mourinho's exit two years ago, during which he was in charge for the EFL Cup final.

But after a 6-1 loss to Newcastle United last time out, Mason was delighted to get a response from his side that underlines their desire.

"In football, you can win, lose or draw but the most important [thing] is that we react together," he told BT Sport. "I have a team that's willing to fight.

"I thought in the second half, we were outstanding [with] the character we showed after last Sunday. I hope the fans can see that we were a team today.

"Those players in there, I know I've got men who when they pull together, they're a very strong team. That's my job, to inspire them and make sure we act as a team."

Goalscorer Son, who was supplied for his point-clinching finish by regular partner Harry Kane, suggested Spurs' performance was born out of frustration over recent failings.

"I thought we didn't deserve to be 2-0 down in the first half," he added. "We played quite well, we had the chances to score. But we weren't clinical enough.

"We didn't want to let the fans down, we wanted to give everything and that was the dressing room speech. We couldn't let the game go. We were really angry about it.

"Football is all about the fans. The last week was unacceptable, and we didn't want to repeat that. With them, we really appreciated their support. They were fighting with us."

Tottenham star Son Heung-min acknowledged feeling extra "pressure and attention" after sharing the Premier League Golden Boot last season.

Son scored 23 league goals for Spurs during the 2021-22 campaign, finishing level with Mohamed Salah as the division's top scorer.

That was Son's best Premier League goals total for a single season, six more than the 17 he managed 12 months earlier, and he believes such an outlay brought with it a level of scrutiny he had not felt before.

Although he insists he loves the pressure, Son's form amid the additional recognition has been underwhelming, managing just seven Premier League goals in 28 appearances.

The 30-year-old still has another eight matches left to play this term, and he did score in Saturday's 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, though there is a chance this could be the first season he has not reached double figures for goals since only getting four in his debut campaign for Spurs.

But regardless of how 2022-23 ends, Son sees no reason why he cannot come back stronger next term.

"Look, if I want to make excuses for the way I've played, I can find lots of them, but I'm not the type of guy who goes around making excuses and saying, 'That was not the real me'," Son told reporters.

"It happened, you move on, and I accept I was not at the top level.

"Last season was fantastic and to win the Golden Boot was a magical moment which gave me amazing confidence.

"Coming into the new season, everyone was saying, 'Sonny's got the Golden Boot' and expecting me to have another amazing run, but sometimes it's not that simple because you get more attention and more pressure, which I love.

"This is the reason we play, because I love this pressure, and it means I'm not the perfect player. I can still improve at my age, and the last eight games will be very important for me and the team."