Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison's stellar performance in Spurs’ 3-1 victory over Brentford was lauded by Gary Lineker, who said the 27-year-old ‘ran the show’ on Saturday lunchtime.
Maddison continued his impressive start to the season, adding a third goal in Tottenham’s victory by dinking the ball over goalkeeper Mark Flekken in the 85th minute from a pass by Son Heung-min.
The 27-year-old began the 2024/25 campaign with an assist in each of Spurs’ two opening Premier League fixtures and has now finally ended his goalscoring drought, having not netted since the 4-0 victory over Aston Villa on March 10.
The goal was only Maddison’s second since returning to action in January after an ankle injury that saw the England international miss two months of action last term.
Speaking after the game, the Tottenham ace hoped his goal would ‘shut people up’ who doubted his recent form and started questioning his numbers after Tottenham’s difficult start to the Premier League season.
Maddison’s effort helped Spurs clinch their second win of the season, lifting them to 10th in the table with seven points after five games.
Maddison Hailed for ‘Brilliant’ Display
In 3-1 win over Brentford
Lineker, speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, was full of praise for Maddison after the 3-1 victory over Brentford, commending the 27-year-old’s versatility as he was dropped deeper into midfield by Ange Postecoglou:
“He was brilliant yesterday, Maddison ran the show. [Postecoglou] dropped him a little bit deeper, because he played great Kulusevski as a 10, and it just shows how versatile footballer he is, and the way he can turn on the ball.
“And he absolutely ran the show. And it was funny, because we're having a conversation with Danny [Murphy].
“He says: "People keep saying, me, he's had a really bad start to the season. I think Spurs have not had a good start to the season."
“But actually, Madison, when they played Leicester, he completely ran the game. And even against Newcastle, he was really good as well. He turned it around. So I think generally, it's been a pretty good start for James Maddison.”
Maddison, who joined Spurs from Leicester back in 2022, only netted his fifth Premier League goal for the Lilywhites in 33 appearances.
The 27-year-old started last season in superb form, scoring five and assisting three for Spurs, who sat top of the league by October, before an ankle injury sidelined him for two months.
Maddison will be hoping to continue his strong performances when Tottenham kick off their Europa League campaign against Qarabag on Thursday, before visiting Man United in a thrilling league encounter on Sunday.
Reguilon ‘Has No Future’ Under Postecoglou
Despite appearing on the bench in League Cup
Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon has little chance of staying at the club in the foreseeable future, despite being a surprise inclusion on Spurs’ bench in their 2-1 win over Coventry City last week, sources at GMS have reported.
The Spaniard, who has less than 12 months left on his current deal in North London, is still expected to depart Spurs in 2025, despite being reintroduced to the first-team picture under Ange Postecoglou.
Reguilon has not made a single appearance for Tottenham over the past two seasons, venturing on loan spells to Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, and Brentford.