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Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min had to separate two of his teammates as they clashed during the Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar.

On Thursday night, Spurs booked their place in the Europa League quarter-finals after a 3-1 home win over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

The Premier League side went into the match 1-0 down but a pair of goals from Wilson Odobert and one from James Maddison ensured that Ange Postecoglu's side progressed.

However, the main talking point in the match came earlier as Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min was forced to step in and split up two of his teammates as they argued during the game.

Just before half-time, Spurs were awarded a crucial free kick as they were 1-0 up against AZ Alkmaar, taking the aggregate score to 1-1.

As expected, star player Maddison picked up the ball ready to take the set piece, but his routine was interrupted as teammate Pedro Porro stepped up and tried to take the ball off of the Englishman.

The pair then began exchanging heated words, eventually forcing team captain Son to step in a split the pair up, before letting Maddison take the free kick as planned

Reacting to a clip of the moment on social media, one fan wrote: "I don’t get why this happens, clubs will have their designated set piece takers this isn’t just disrespectful to the taker but also the manager. It’s playground stuff!"

While another added: "Son is practically babysitting a bunch of kids. All the time these two fights on free kicks. Gotta feel sorry for the guy, he has too much on his plate."

And one joked: ""Why do they have to keep embarrassing me."

However, it appears that the bad blood between the two Spurs teammates didn't take long to settle, as Porro was spotted celebrating with Maddison after the midfielder doubled the home side's lead in the 48th minute.

Tottenham Hotspur’s supporters may have spotted James Maddison sending Ange Postecoglou a damning message during their Europa League round of 16 clash against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday - but fans have different takes on the incident.

Spurs put in a poor performance overall, and Lucas Bergvall’s own goal on 18 minutes was the only strike of the game as the Premier League outfit fell to a 1-0 defeat at the AFAS Stadion.

Of course, they do have the opportunity to turn it around in the second leg, which will take place in north London on Thursday, 13 March.

Nonetheless, fans were not pleased with Postecoglou’s side, as they registered just one shot on target despite dominating the ball with 62 percent possession compared to AZ’s 38 percent - although the home side registered five shots on target.

Several fans on social media called out Spurs' supposed lack of effort, but Postecoglou leapt to his players’ defence when speaking after the match.

"I don’t think it’s a matter of effort or attitude, I don’t think it is going out there and not trying, but we didn’t really come to grips and have the right mindset to tackle an away fixture in Europe,” said Postecoglou.

However, during the night, fans think TV cameras spotted Maddison, 28, questioning his manager’s tactics while sat on the bench alongside captain Son Heung-min.

Although exactly what the England international said is unclear, but fans on social media think they have figured it out.

One said: "Clearly mutters, 'it’s the same play style all the time, what’s he seeing'.

"We can see it as fans, the results show it, and the players on live T.V."

Another added: "The problem yesterday is the players don't know what the plan is."

A third explained: "I think (being serious) he's saying 'player'.

"Watching it back he's either referring to one of theirs who was constantly getting away with small fouls."

As a fourth commented: "Perhaps they were still discussing possibly the worst free kick routine I've ever seen."

Spurs will return to Premier League action when they play hosts to Andoni Iraola's in-form Bournemouth team on Sunday 9 March.

Roy Keane has responded to James Maddison after he dedicated a celebration to him against Manchester United.

On an episode of Stick to Football, the former United skipper issued a brutal put-down Maddison, dismissing his ability to make a difference and questioning his impact when it matters.

Though he called the England international a "good, talented player", Keane claimed that anyone who thinks Maddison can come back and move Spurs into the top six is living in "cuckoo land".

Having been injured with a calf issue, Maddison returned and scored the winning goal against United - performing his usual darts celebration and adding a shush gesture which he later confirmed was directed at Keane.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Maddison said there was a "little bit of outside noise this week" and added he hoped "there's a certain few that enjoyed me being the match-winner today!".

He then posted a viral TikTok trolling Keane, who has now had his reply teased by The Overlap on social media.

When asked by Gary Neville, Keane said: "Good on him. Absolutely. No problem. I still go to what I said, I don't think he does enough of that. But when he scored, I was at home with my cup of tea and I went, 'Good on you'.

"People have a go at you, you answer them back."

"I was hoping he was going to do the same the other day but he was sub against Ipswich."

The panel were left in hysterics, with Neville addressing Maddison and telling him that his long-time teammate is "now monitoring your every move".

Keane then mimicked Maddison's dart-throwing antics for further laughs, with Ian Wright interjected, adding: "You can't win James. Just do your stuff James because you can't f***ing win!".

What Maddison said about Keane criticism

One of the most switched-on and honest footballers around, Maddison revealed he and teammates are told by Ange Postecoglou to ignore any comments in the media.

However, he admitted that it is not an easy task - particularly when someone of Keane's status is weighing in with criticism.

"The gaffer always talks about blocking the outside noise but sometimes it's difficult," he told Patrick Davison of Sky Sports.

"It's constantly in your face. You can use it but I think gaffer prefers when you're just in our own little bubble and listening to him.

"Sometimes it's difficult, it's constantly in your face these days - social media and WhatsApp with people sending you stuff and you do see it - especially when it's a big high-profile name."

Maddison was named as Spurs' captain for the visit of Manchester City, who they have already beaten twice this season.

Tottenham have sent a letter to Premier League broadcasters stating that they want to be referred to as a different name, it has been revealed.

Like many clubs in the Premier League and EFL, the club are often referred to as a shorter version of their official full name - Tottenham Hotspur.

There are a number of other examples of this both in the Premier League and further down the pyramid. West Bromwich Albion, for instance, are often referred to as West Brom, with Queens Park Rangers known as QPR.

On televised broadcasts and in the wider media, Tottenham are often referred to as 'Tottenham', or 'Spurs', but more rarely are they referred to as their full name.

Now, in a letter addressed to Premier League broadcasters and both seen and reported by The Athletic, the north London club have stated they want that to change.

The club now wants to be referred to as 'Tottenham Hotspur' or simply Spurs, with mentions of 'Tottenham' taken out of future coverage.

The letter reads: "Tottenham Hotspur have provided clarification regarding the club's name.

"They have requested that the club are primarily known as Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs being the preferred short version.

"The club have requested that they are not referred to as Tottenham."

The Premier League website has been updated to reflect this change, with no mention of 'Tottenham' except within the club's current three-letter abbreviation.

And overseas broadcasters have also begun to include the 'new' name in their coverage of English football.

While clubs have, in the past, requested that broadcasters refer to their official names in a certain way - and fans have certainly made their feelings clear on social media - this appears to be the first time that such a request has been viewable publicly.

The Spurs name change will no doubt surprise fans, although The Athletic note that the club hasn't referred to itself as 'Tottenham' internally since 2011 as per official policy.

And a brand document unveiled by the club in November reads: "In a world full of Uniteds, Citys and Rovers, there is only one Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur."

Another reason, it is indicated, is to avoid the perception of 'Tottenham' referring solely to the area of Tottenham, instead of to 'Tottenham Hotspur' the football club.

It is indeed true that there isn't another Hotspur in English football - at least as far down as the upper reaches of the amateur game - with fans having to travel to Wales or Malta if they wanted to see another team with the same name in action.

Holyhead Hotspur has represented the Welsh town of the first name since 1990, while there are two different teams in Malta who use the name ending.

James Maddison fired a fresh dig at Roy Keane after scoring the winner for Spurs on his return to action against Manchester United.

Maddison suffered a calf strain in a Europa League win over Hoffenheim on 23 January and has been one of many players missing from Ange Postecoglou's squad.

He was back fit and firing on Sunday though, popping up with the only goal of the game 13 minutes as Spurs climbed to 12th in the Premier League table.

After tapping home from close range after Andre Onana palmed Lucas Bervall's shot into his path, Maddison performed his usual darts celebration but then added a shush gesture.

It came days after former United captain issued a brutal put-down to the former Leicester City man, dismissing his ability to make a difference and questioning his impact when it matters.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane said: "We saw Maddison at Tamworth, he was taken off. Tamworth are non-league.

"People say Maddison’s the man. When is he going to step up to the plate? He got relegated with Leicester and he’ll get relegated with Spurs.

"Maddison isn’t bad when he’s not at the darts, but let me tell you, if you think he’s going to come back and get Spurs into the top six, you’re in cuckoo land.

"He’s good, he’s a talented player. But if you’re a player in the Spurs dressing room and Maddison’s back in the squad, you wouldn’t be looking and going 'oh Jesus – he’s back today. We’re going to be fine'."

In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Maddison was asked about whether the celebration was directed at anyone in particular.

He told Patrick Davison that there was "a little bit of outside noise this week" and said he hopes "there's a certain few that enjoyed me being the match-winner today!".

Though Maddison did not name Keane, he then confirmed exactly who he was aiming his celebration at with a TikTok video which quickly went viral.

The 28-year-old posted the clip of Keane laying into him, before Ian Wright told Maddison to "you've got to silence this".

Maddison did just that and the video, captioned 'COYS', cut to his goal and celebration to the camera, racking up 100,000 likes and more than 800,000 views.

In a fascinating Sky interview, Maddison spoke about being instructed by Postecoglou to ignore all the media talk but admitted it is easier said than done - particularly when someone like Keane is discussing his performances.

"It's constantly in your face," Maddison stated.

"You can use it but I think gaffer prefers when you're just in our own little bubble and listening to him.

"Sometimes it's difficult, it's constantly in your face these days - social media and WhatsApp with people sending you stuff and you do see it - especially when it's a big high-profile name."

Spurs are back in action on Saturday when they travel to play Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane has labelled one shock Manchester United player as the scariest he's ever played against.

Having led the line for Spurs, England and Bayern Munich, Kane has played against some of the very best footballers in the modern era.

The striker spent over a decade in the Premier League, facing off against defenders like of Virgil van Dijk and Vincent Kompany, but made the move to the Bundesliga in the summer of 2023, where he now plays against Alejandro Grimaldo and Nico Schlotterbeck.

But there's one player that has stood out amongst all others as the most intimidating for Kane during his career, and it may shock you.

Ahead of his move to Bayern Munich nearly two years ago, Kane had also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but a deal never materialised as the Red Devils opted instead for Rasmus Hojlund.

But the Englishman clearly has a lot of respect for his former Premier League rivals as, when playing the ‘word association game with GOAL he named a United star as the scariest player he had faced.

While Raphael Varane was labelled as the quickest centre-back he’d ever faced, it was the Frenchman's former United teammate Harry Maguire that Kane named as his scariest opponent.

Scary maybe wouldn't be the word that many United fans would use to described Maguire, but after producing a heroic last minute winning goal against former club Leicester City in the FA Cup, the defender has reminded fans of his value.

With a wealth of experience playing against him in the Premier League and alongside him with England, Kane perhaps knows how intimidating of a defender Maguire can be better than anyone else in the world.

However, it is worth noting that the Bayern Munich forward did break down in laughter before saying picking Maguire, so it is possible that this is just a joke between the two friends.

The England captain also picked several of his other national teammates for other categories during the word association game, see his full selection of players below:

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly removed three players from their UEFA Europa League squad ahead of the knockout stages.

On Thursday night, Spurs headed to Anfield for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Despite holding a 1-0 lead from the first encounter, the visitors produced a dismal display as Liverpool easily swept them aside under the Anfield lights.

Goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk sealed a massive 4-0 win for Arne Slot's men, setting up a mouth-watering final against Newcastle United at Wembley on March 16.

Less than 24 hours after their thrashing by Liverpool, Spurs have reportedly left three players out of their Europa League sqaud.

Tottenham Hotspur make three changes to Europa League squad

As reported by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, who wrote on social media: "Tottenham include Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso and Djed Spence as part of the Europa League squad.

"Timo Werner, Dragusin and Forster have been left out."

Defender Radu Dragusin is set for an extended spell out after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Elfsborg last week.

Meanwhile, Timo Werner and Fraser Forster have fallen down Ange Postecoglou's pecking order.

January signings Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso were added to the squad alongside Djed Spence, who missed out during the league phase of the competition.

As reported by Football.London, UEFA regulations state that teams are permitted to make three changes to their squad between the league phase and the knockout stages of the Europa League.

However, this does mean that fellow new signing Antonin Kinsky will not be available for selection, with first choice stopper Guglielmo Vicario said to be fit for the round of 16.

Spurs will face either Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or Midtjylland for a place in the quarter finals of the Europa League.

New Tottenham Hotspur striker Mathys Tel might already be considering a move to another top club shortly after making his debut during the Carabao Cup.

Despite reportedly declining a move earlier in the January transfer window, Tel left Bayern Munich to join Tottenham on loan in a last-minute move finalised on deadline day.

The deal will see Tottenham pay a loan fee of up to €10million (£8.3m) for the 19-year-old, who who will then return to his parent club at the end of the season.

Although Spurs will have the opportunity to make the move permanent by exercising an option to buy in the deal, a new report has claimed that Tel will have the opportunity that he wants to join a different Premier League club in the summer.

Tel was welcomed to English football on Thursday night as he made his debut for Tottenham during the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool at Anfield.

The forward came on as a substitue late in the first half, but was unable to do anything to prevent his side losing the match 4-0, knocking them out of the competition.

In the wake of the embarrassing result, a new report from Caught Offside has claimed that the Frenchman will likely once again have the opportunity to join Manchester United when the transfer window reopens in June.

According to respected journalist Christian Falk, United were actively pursuing a deal for Tel during in the winter window but pulled out over a disagreement on paying a loan fee.

But in the summer this won't be an issue, allowing the young talent to join a new club on a permanent deal, and he has his sights set on Old Trafford.

“There were also talks with Manchester United who were interested in Mathys Tel’s signature. Tel was certainly open to the move, but United weren’t prepared to pay the loan fee Bayern Munich were demanding at the time (€5m),” Falk told CaughtOffside

“Whether Tel stays with Bayern beyond the summer or moves on, it’s entirely up to him. If he can make the step to United, he would like to do it. If he sees a chance at Bayern Munich, perhaps he would also stay, but I think it’s hard for him, as he didn’t make it under Vincent Kompany.

“So, I think if he is performing very well, he will stay in the Premier League. If he doesn’t, he has to go back to Bayern and start again.”

Tottenham Hotspur fans have made their feelings clear on Mathys Tel after the new signing made his debut in the Carabao Cup match against Liverpool.

On Thursday night, Ange Postecoglu's promise to deliver a trophy in his second season as Tottenham boss took a major blow as they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup after a 4-1 two leg semi-final loss to Liverpool.

Despite winning the home leg 1-0, Tottenham surrendered their lead after losing 4-0 at Anfield, as they failed to get even one shot on target across the match, despite handing a debut to new striker Tel.

And having watched Tel's first performance in a Tottenham shirt, fans have now taken to social media to make their feelings about their new player known.

After reportedly rejecting joining Spurs earlier in the window, Bayern Munich forward Tel signed a loan deal with the Premier League club on deadline day, keeping him in London until the end of the season.

He made his debut for the London club shortly before half-time of the Carabao Cup game at Anfield, as starting striker Richarlison was forced off the pitch with an injury, and it's safe to say fans aren't impressed.

Reacting to his debut on social media platform X, one fan wrote: "Didn’t even realise Mathys Tel was on the pitch. Such a nothing player."

Another agreed, writing: "Mathys Tel has been awful."

While another added: "Mathys Tel doesn't have enough stamina to press, despite just being subbed on."

And one asked: "All that Mathys Tel hype for this rubbish?"

Tottenham are reported to have paid a loan fee of up to €10million (£8.3m) for the 19-year-old Frenchman, and there is an option to buy included in the deal.

Although Tottenham remain one of the favourites to win the Europa League, many believed that, thanks to their 1-0 lead, their semi-final against Liverpool presented their best chance at silverware this season.

"I guess that Liverpool deserved the victory," said Postecoglou after Thursday's match.

"They were the far better team - we were not able to get a grip of the game.

"We allowed them to get into the game and we were not as aggressive as we needed to be. We didn't get the game started off in the right footing.

"It was very difficult for us to wrestle that control back."