Tottenham Hotspur's South Korea forward Son Heung-min only got back from the Asian Cup on Saturday but rode to the rescue of his injury-hit club side with a vital equaliser as they rallied to beat Watford 2-1 in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Son had barely got over the disappointment of his national team's elimination from the continental tournament in the United Arab Emirates, where they lost 1-0 at the quarter-final stage to Qatar, before he was pulling on his boots again for Spurs.
A long-term injury suffered by striker Harry Kane has left Spurs light up front, despite the efforts of veteran striker Fernando Llorente who got the winner at Wembley, meaning Son has been given little time to recover after South Korea's exit.
"For me it was too much. It wasn't the plan to play with him for the 90 minutes," manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after Son's energetic performance injected some life into Spurs.
"I said maybe we need to take a little bit of a risk to keep him playing. He finished very tired with some cramp. We'll see if he's going to recover for the next game (at home to Newcastle United on Saturday)," added the Argentine.
"(He scored) a great goal and (put in an) amazing effort. From the beginning he showed energy. I'm so happy with his performance but happier because he showed a massive commitment with the team. He deserves a lot of praise..."
Spurs were struggling to find the net until Son struck with 10 minutes remaining for his 13th goal of the season in all competitions setting them up for Llorente to head the winner three minutes from time at a half-empty Wembley Stadium.
"He (Son) was disappointed to lose the quarter-final to Qatar," said Pochettino. "He wanted to deliver for his country the best and to win the Asian Cup but... I have to be honest I'm happy that he's back because he's helping us to try to win."
