It was a dramatic turnaround courtesy of Hwang Hee-chan.
Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated Luton Town 2-1 in the 35th round of the 2023-24 English Premier League at Molineux Stadium in England on Sunday (July 27).
Hwang Hee-chan was the star of the show for Wolverhampton. In the 39th minute, Hwang picked up the ball near the left side of the box and beat one defender to find the back of the Luton Town net. The goal was the result of his signature folding move. Wolverhampton then overcame a one-goal deficit in the fifth minute of the second half through Totti Gomes.
It was Hwang’s 11th Premier League goal of the season, his 12th of the campaign, and the 19th of his Premier League career. Hwang has now equaled Park Ji-Sung’s 19 Premier League goals for Manchester United.
Hwang Hee-chan is currently enjoying his best season to date. Three years after joining Wolverhampton, he has established himself as the team’s leading striker.
When he joined Wolverhampton in 2021, things didn”t go so well for him. He wasn”t a clear favorite of the manager and was in and out of the starting lineup. The following season, he lost the trust of manager Julen Lopetegui and suffered frequent injuries, scoring just four goals in the season. This season, however, he has already scored 12 goals and has become one of the Premier League’s top strikers. He is currently tied for 12th in the league in goals with teammate Mateusz Cunha, along with Darwin Núñez (Liverpool), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), and Kai Havertz (Arsenal).
What makes Hwang’s turnaround all the more dramatic is that he was in a serious slump during his time in Germany. In 2018, Hwang went on loan from Red Bull Salzburg to Hamburg in Germany. At Salzburg, Hwang scored a lot of goals as he formed a formidable trio with Elling Holland (Manchester City) and Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco). This performance helped the team reach the German second division.
However, Hwang only scored two goals in 21 appearances for 토토사이트 Hamburg. After an unsuccessful loan spell in Hamburg, he joined Leipzig in 2020. This was his big break in the big leagues.
However, Hwang struggled here as well. In 29 appearances for Leipzig, he scored just three goals. Leipzig then sold him to Wolverhampton. Hwang ended his career with just five goals in the German league.
His struggles in Germany continued in the Premier League. Hwang had been a mediocre striker for the previous two seasons. But this season, under Gary O’Neill, he’s made a complete turnaround, scoring 12 goals already. A player who scored just five goals in Germany has now netted 19 in the Premier League.