Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou have earned themselves the slightest reprieve from pressure with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in London on Sunday afternoon.
The crucial win in Tottenham's bid to get back to winning ways and keep Ange Postecoglou in situ was ultimately the product of injured James Maddison's return to action, with the midfielder bagging the decisive goal with a tidy finish after just thirteen minutes.
While at times it was a drab and tough-to-watch encounter, the win appeared to symbolise much more than mere points for the Tottenham stars, many of whom were visibly more confident after claiming their second league win on the bounce.
At no point was that more evident than when Maddison celebrated his winner, immediately taking aim at the 'outside noise' he'd been subjected to during the week, the most prolific of which came from Roy Keane.
James Maddison nets on his return from injury! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/59Q1DG5moD
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 16, 2025
Having scored the decisive goal on his return from a calf injury that had ruled him out in recent weeks, Maddison's post-match celebrations were an obvious jibe at those who'd criticised the impact his return would have.
Speaking on the Overlap earlier that week, Irish legend Roy Keane took a cutting jab at Maddison's abilities to turn things around for Spurs.
We saw Maddison at Tamworth 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 will 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 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 is back in the squad you wouldn't be looking going 'he's back today, we're going to be fine'.
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James Maddison addresses goal celebration in post-match press conference
Speaking to Sky Sports after his side's win over Manchester United, Maddison addressed his celebrations, giving a not-so-subtle hint at who they were aimed at.
Asked whether his actions had been targeted at anyone in particular, Maddison couldn't but let a cheeky smile slip claiming they were targeted at the 'outside noise'.
Just a little bit of outside noise weren't there this week.
Nah listen people have their opinions but I try to do my talking on the pitch today so I hope there's a certain few that enjoyed me being the match-winner today.
"I hope there's a certain few that enjoyed me being the match-winner today!" 👀🤫
James Maddison on his celebration after scoring against Manchester United... pic.twitter.com/mNu1asU4dU— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 16, 2025
While the Spurs man stopped short of naming Corkonian Keane, it was clear to see exactly who both his post-match celebrations and comments were aimed at, with the midfielder revealing how difficult it is to silence the outside noise when it's coming from a 'big profile name'.
Sometimes its difficult (to block out the outside noise) because it's constantly in your face these days with social media and Whatsapp, people sending stuff.
You do see it, and it is there. Especially when it comes from a big profile name.
But listen, it's about responding in the right way and I did that.
While it would be no surprise to see a similarly subtle return from Keane, Maddison looks to have had the last laugh...for the moment anyway.
Maddison then pasted an edit of Keane's comments to tiktok on Sunday night with the goal tacked on at the end.
After Sunday's result, Tottenham have moved three places up the table from fifteenth to twelfth, moving a point clear of Manchester United and sitting ahead of both Everton and Crystal Palace on goal difference.
They'll be expecting to make it three league wins on the bounce next week as well when they head to relegation-battling Ipswich for another crucial clash before welcoming Manchester City to London.
