‘I knew you was thinking about me,’ says Luke Littler as James Maddison sends Man Utd fan apology
JAMES MADDISON sent a playful apology to his friend Luke Littler after scoring the winning goal for Tottenham against Manchester United, the team Littler supports.
Maddison, 28, was making his comeback after a three-week absence due to a calf injury. His return was unforgettable, as he netted the decisive goal in the 13th minute, securing a crucial 1-0 victory for Spurs.
After scoring, Maddison celebrated with his signature “dart-throwing” gesture, followed by a shushing move that many speculated was aimed at Roy Keane, after the former Man United captain made remarks about Maddison earlier in the week.
Post-match, Maddison shared a picture of his dart-throw celebration on Instagram Stories, captioning it: “Sorry son @lukethenukelittler.” Littler, 18, quickly re-shared the image on his own story with the message: “I knew u was thinking about me.”
The pair’s friendship dates back to Littler’s impressive run to the World Darts Championship final at the age of 16. After Littler reached the quarter-finals, Maddison invited him to a Spurs match, where the young darts star watched Spurs beat Bournemouth 3-1 from Maddison’s VIP box in December 2023.
Just a few weeks later, Littler attended the Manchester United vs. Tottenham match at Old Trafford, meeting Sir Alex Ferguson and Bruno Fernandes.
In September, Littler had a cheeky interaction with Spurs’ social media team after they defeated United 3-0 at Old Trafford. The official Spurs account posted a screenshot of Littler following them, asking, “You finally seen the light @LukeTheNuke180?”
Earlier this week, Roy Keane had made some critical comments about Maddison, suggesting he wouldn’t succeed at Spurs after being relegated with Leicester. Maddison, however, let his performance do the talking, scoring the match-winning goal and performing the shushing celebration in response.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Maddison acknowledged the outside noise, saying: “There was a little bit of outside noise this week. People will have their opinions, but I wanted to do my talking on the pitch. I hope there is a certain few that enjoyed me being the match-winner today.”
Maddison’s goal was his ninth in 23 Premier League appearances this season, bringing his total to 10 goals and six assists in all competitions for Spurs in what has been a challenging campaign.
