Neal Maupay and James Maddison feud ramps up after match and celebration bust-up

01 February 2024 , 00:00

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Neal Maupay and James Maddison feud ramps up after match and celebration bust-up

Brentford striker Neal Maupay has added fuel to the fire after copying James Maddison's goal celebration, despite the Tottenham star getting the last laugh.

Maupay emulated Maddison's trademark dart-throw celebration when the in-form French striker put Brentford 1-0 up at Tottenham on Wednesday, netting his fourth goal in as many games for the Bees. The two players frostily exchanged words in the aftermath before Maddison's side completed a rapid second-half turnaround, winning 3-2 as Ivan Toney also pulled a goal back for Brentford.

After full-time, the Spurs midfielder - an avid darts fan - posted an image of Maupay celebrating his goal in the first half alongside snaps of himself basking in Tottenham's eventual victory and a graphic of the final score. "A short story… COYS" Maddison added.

Brentford's striker then had something to say a few minutes later, writing on his own Instagram page: "Went a bit early with that one. Gutted we couldn't get the win. More goals and less relegations in my career than James Maddison. We go again Monday."

Maupay's post - which included a meme from the film Oppenheimer - may've been accurate but as a striker, the fact that he was comparing himself to a midfielder didn't go down well. "Imagine posting a pic of yourself celebrating when your team lose," one user replied. "You're a striker mate, scoring more goals should be the bare minimum," another said.

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Speaking to TNT Sports post-match, Maddison revealed what he'd said to Maupay during the aforementioned exchange. "I just said to him, he hasn't scored enough goals of his own in the last few years to have his own celebration, so he had to copy mine," the 27-year-old explained. "Short story, ended well for us."

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Maddison was making his first Premier League start since November 6, having recovered from a serious ankle injury. "It was lovely to be back," the England international and Euro 2024 hopeful added. "When you're injured and starved of doing what you love, that just reminded me why I love football so much, just being out there tonight.

"First half was stop-start, the kind of first half Brentford would have wanted, a lot of stoppages and set-pieces. In the second half, we had too much for them. It's never simple and plain sailing here, there's always a lot of goals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium."

Nathan Ridley