James Maddison was one of Tottenham Hotspur’s only bright sparks before the visitors took a 3-0 lead against Tamworth in the Third Round of the FA Cup.
Considering Spurs failed to score before the 101st minute, James Maddison, who played in his usual number 10 position tried to unlock the National League side’s defence with an array of dazzling flicks and fierce strikes.
However, Tamworth deserve all the praise in the world for putting in a resolute performance at the back and going toe-to-toe with Tottenham.
Even big names like Spurs winger Brennan Johnson struggled against Tamworth before getting on the scoresheet as Ange Postecoglou was forced into bringing on his main men such as Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and Dominic Solanke off the bench.
Gary Lineker felt Tottenham unfairly benefited against Tamworth due to replays in the FA Cup being scrapped away, as the Lilywhites’ superior experience and fitness levels aided them in the final 30 minutes.
Previously, Andy Peaks’ side would have had the opportunity to play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the 0-0 draw after 90 minutes of regulation time.
James Maddison praised for classy gesture during Tottenham vs Tamworth
But due to the changing of the rules, Tamworth were denied the chance to see where they stand away from home in one of the best stadiums in Europe.
Ange Postecoglou was praised by the Tamworth boss for how “respectful” he was during a pre-match chat as well.
After Jasbir Singh announced on X that his partner had given birth to a child, Maddison congratulated him on the news while also praising his performance on Sunday.
“Congratulations. Top performance as well to go with it.”
Singh replied to Maddison, singing his praises for the time he gave to his Tamworth teammates during the contest to have a chat with them.
“Appreciate the tweet. Absolute gent, I think all our boys appreciate the time and effort you made with them.”
The Tamworth goalkeeper’s performance certainly caught the eye, as the statistics show as he kept his side in the game on several instances by making a plethora of excellent saves.
Ange Postecoglou also made a surprise remark about one of the opposition players after the game.
Ange Postecoglou told Tamworth star he could play for Tottenham
Tamworth’s Haydyn Hollis revealed Postecoglou’s message after the contest that he may well have said in jest about being good enough to sign for Spurs after pulling off a scintillating ‘Cruyff Turn.’
Hollis was being pressed by Pape Matar Sarr and he spun away from pressure in style.
“Their manager just said to me, ‘That’s good enough to get you in the door here.’
“I said, ‘Believe it or not I’ve never done it before’. But no, it’s not my game and you’ll never see that again.”
It was class all around from Tottenham who embraced the occassion.
Tamworth would have gained Spurs’ respect with how well they played as well.
The hosts would have been well within their right to sit back and defend all game.
But Tamworth took the game to Tottenham, as special gestures from Maddison and Postecoglou will live long in their memory.