James Maddison jokingly hit back at Jamie Redknapp after the Sky Sports pundit questioned his opening goal in Tottenham’s astounding 4-0 rout against Manchester City on Saturday. Maddison was the Player of the Match in Spurs’ Premier League rout, scoring twice at the Etihad Stadium to inflict a fifth consecutive defeat on the hosts.
Pedro Porro added a third in the second half before Brennan Johnson came off the bench to make it 4-0 in stoppage time, rounding off a memorable night for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
On Sky Sports after full-time, Maddison ran through his 13th-minute opener, which turned the tides in Spurs’ favour after a threatening start from City.
The England midfielder, celebrating his 28th birthday in style, confirmed that he had been working on his crashing runs behind defenders.
“I think I’ve actually made a few of them runs this season and got the ball and not scored. So it hasn’t been spoken about,” Maddison told the Sky Sports studio.
“There have been times I’ve made that kind of left half-space run where I find myself with the midfielder picking me up, but when I burst quickly, it’s like they’re not sure who’s picking me up.
“And with the quality Kulusevski has got on that left foot… I actually said to him pre-game that when you cut in, look for that inswinging cross almost.
“And when you look at the replay there, I barely have to break stride and it’s just about getting a good contact.”
Redknapp then interrupted Maddison, disputing his claim that it was a good contact by describing the goal as a ‘Shinaldo’ because it went in off his shin.
His comment sparked laughter between host David Jones and co-pundit Micah Richards before Maddison smiled and responded: “On my birthday, Jamie? Really?”
The Spurs No. 10’s reaction elevated the laughter before Redknapp added: “The second one definitely wasn’t, James, but that first one, there was definitely a little bit!”
Maddison replied: “No, no, it just needed the contact, didn’t it? I didn’t want to try too much. I just needed to get a good contact.”
Postecoglou was left in awe of his midfield maestro’s masterclass, hailing his impact after inconsistent starts this season.
“He was outstanding. You have to be against City, and Madders was great,” the Aussie coach explained to Sky Sports.
“He’s gone through a lean spell, but I never doubted his ability. I thought the kind of game we were expecting would suit him.
“I thought we’d need his ability to keep the ball in tight midfield areas. I take it personally on myself if players aren’t reaching their level, that’s on me to get him back up there.”
