- A Spurs fan claimed James Maddison was ‘taking the p***’ by going to the darts
- Maddison came on as a substitute during Spurs’ draw with Wolves on Sunday
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James Maddison has hit back at a Tottenham fan who criticised 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 team-mate 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 table, capped off a dismal December for Tottenham as they endured a third match without a win.
Maddison’s appearance at the Ally Pally irritated some Spurs fans given the disappointing run of form, with one supporter labelling the decision to watch the darts with Johnson as ‘unacceptable’.
‘You taking the p***? The form we’re in and you go the darts? Unacceptable,’ one angry Tottenham fan posted to Instagram on Sunday.
Biting back with a swift response 12 minutes later, Maddison said: ‘Shut up you wally’. The England star signed off his reply with a laughing emoji.
James Maddison has hit back at a Tottenham fan who criticised 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 during Sunday’s clash
He was accompanied by Spurs team-mate Brennan Johnson, who scored during the game
Price’s win at the 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 clash against Wolves 2-1 until the 87th minute, before Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised for the visitors to climb them two points above the relegation zone.
Johnson put Ange Postecoglou‘s side ahead on the stroke of half-time, scoring from close range in the third minute of additional time.
With the draw, Spurs remain 11 points behind London rivals Chelsea in fourth, who occupy the final guaranteed Champions League qualification spot.
After Sunday’s result, Tottenham are now closer to Leicester in the relegation zone (10 points) than they are Chelsea.
The Australian boss rued his side’s performance, admitting that the result ‘hurts immensely’.
‘It hurts me because I’m responsible ultimately. I’m the person in charge. So of course it hurts,’ he said.
‘When I see how hard they are trying, 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 were dipping into their reserves of energy.
The midfielder labelled the supporter a ‘wally’ for criticising his decision to attend the darts
The Spurs pair watched Gerwyn Price (left) triumph over Jonny Clayton (right) in the last-16
Maddison, a huge fan of the sport, regularly performs a darts celebration when he scores
‘I wanted them to get a reward for their efforts. So of course it hurts. It hurts immensely.
‘At the same time it’s my responsibility for where we’re at right now and it’s my responsibility to try to get us out of it.’
Spurs take on in-form Newcastle in their next Premier League outing on January 4, before a huge two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Despite his side’s poor form of late, Postecoglou will still be hoping to guide Tottenham to their first trophy since 2008 by lifting the Carabao Cup in March’s final.
