Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min could equal a club goalscoring record set by Gareth Bale in Saturday's Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
While Harry Kane has flattered to deceive in front of goal at some points during the campaign, Son has already enjoyed his finest scoring streak for Spurs in the Premier League since his 2015 arrival.
The South Korea international has already found the back of the net 19 times in the 2021-22 Premier League, as well as providing eight assists for Antonio Conte's side.
Only Mohamed Salah (22) has scored more goals than Son in this season's top flight, with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo only one behind with 18.
Impressively, none of Son's 19 league strikes this season has come from the penalty spot, and he could now become just the second Tottenham player to hit the 20-goal mark in the Premier League without any penalties.
Bale's final season at White Hart Lane in 2012-13 saw him achieve the feat before his departure to Real Madrid, and Conte talked up the importance of Son in his pre-match press conference.
"For sure I knew him in the past but now to see him during the training session you can understand the quality of the player. For sure he is a player that wants to improve himself," Conte told reporters.
"This is the main reason you are seeing him in this peak of form. He is working very hard, I see him every day with the will and the right desire to improve himself and work for the team.
"He is scoring a lot but at the same time during the game he helps the team a lot without the ball. For me when this happens I am very happy because I understand I have a player that thinks not only for himself but thinks for the team before himself."
Son scored two and set up another in Spurs' 3-1 win over Leicester City during their most recent Premier League battle - surpassing his previous best Premier League goal tally of 17 strikes in 37 appearances last term.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man has now struck 127 goals and provided 73 assists in 321 appearances for Tottenham since his arrival, but he has not enjoyed a strong period of success against Liverpool.
The 29-year-old netted the equaliser for Tottenham in a 2-2 draw with the Reds in North London earlier in the campaign, but that is one of only three strikes he has registered in 12 matches against Jurgen Klopp's side.
Son has also ended up on the losing side on eight of those occasions, with Tottenham seeking a first Premier League win over Liverpool since a 4-1 thumping at Wembley in the 2017-18 season.
Son's 19 Premier League strikes this year puts him six clear of partner Kane's 13, with the pair becoming the Premier League's deadliest-ever duo earlier this year and now combining for 41 goals in the top flight.
Victory for Liverpool at Anfield would temporarily take them one point clear of Arsenal in the fourth and final Champions League spot before their North London rivals face Leeds United on Sunday afternoon. body check tags ::
