- A Spurs fan claimed James Maddison ‘took the p*** by going to the darts’
- Maddison came on as a substitute during the draw between Spurs and Wolves on Sunday
- FOOTBALL AZ: Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, or watch them on YouTube. New episodes every Wednesday
James Maddison has hit back at a Tottenham fan who criticized him for watching the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace just hours after Spurs’ disappointing 2-2 draw with Wolves on Sunday.
The midfielder, who started on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before coming on as a substitute, was spotted at the Ally Pally with Spurs teammate Brennan Johnson during Gerwyn Price’s last-16 clash against Jonny Clayton.
The 2-2 draw, which saw Ange Postecoglou’s side drop to 11th in the Premier League, capped a dismal December for Tottenham as they endured a third game without a win.
Maddison’s performance at the Ally Pally irked some Spurs fans given the disappointing form, with one supporter labeling the decision to watch the darts with Johnson as ‘unacceptable’.
‘Are you taking the p***? The shape we’re in and you’re going to play darts? Unacceptable,” an angry Tottenham fan posted on Instagram on Sunday.
Twelve minutes later he bit back with a quick response saying, “Shut up, wally.” The England star signed his response with a laughing emoji.
James Maddison has hit back at a Tottenham fan who criticized him for watching the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace after Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Wolves on Sunday
The England star started on the bench before coming on as a substitute in Sunday’s match
He was joined by Spurs teammate Brennan Johnson, who scored during the match
Price’s win at Alexandra Palace took place just 12 minutes away from Spurs’ home stadium in north London.
Tottenham came back from 1–0 down to lead the match against Wolves 2–1 until the 87th minute, before Jorgen Strand Larsen equalized for the visitors to take them two points above the relegation zone.
Johnson put Ange Postecoglou’s team ahead on the stroke of halftime and scored from close range in the third minute of extra time.
The draw leaves Spurs 11 points behind London rivals Chelsea in fourth place, who occupy the last guaranteed Champions League qualification spot.
After Sunday’s result, Tottenham are now closer to Leicester in the relegation zone (10 points) than to Chelsea.
The Australian boss lamented his side’s performance and admitted the result ‘hurts immensely’.
‘It hurts me because ultimately I am responsible. I am the person responsible. So of course it hurts,” he said.
“When I see how hard they try, it hurts even more because you want them to get a reward and I think they deserved a reward for their efforts, even though they are drawing on their energy reserves.
The midfielder branded the supporter a ‘wally’ for criticizing his decision to play darts
The Spurs pair saw Gerwyn Price (left) triumph over Jonny Clayton (right) in the last 16
Maddison, a big fan of the sport, regularly throws a darts party when he scores
‘I wanted them to be rewarded for their efforts. So of course it hurts. It hurts enormously.
“At the same time, it’s my responsibility for where we are today and it’s my responsibility to try to get us out of there.”
Spurs take on in-form Newcastle in their next Premier League appearance on January 4, before a big two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Despite his side’s poor form of late, Postecoglou will still hope to guide Tottenham to their first trophy since 2008 by lifting the Carabao Cup in March’s final.