James Maddison and Neal Maupay explain dart celebration after Brighton comeback win against Tottenham
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James Maddison Leicester City
The Spurs midfielder extended his team’s lead on the south coast with a composed finish following Brennan Johnson’s opening goal. Celebrating in his signature style, James Maddison mimed throwing a dart at a TV camera. However, Brighton responded by turning the match around with goals from Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter, and Danny Welbeck, resulting in celebratory scenes at the Amex Stadium. Following the match, the club’s DJ joined in the revelry by playing Planet Funk’s ‘Chase The Sun’, a track closely associated with darts events, subtly poking fun at Maddison’s trademark celebration. Maddison has been known for this unique celebration since his time at Leicester City.
James Maddison explained the origin of his celebration: “The first time I did it was Newcastle away and it was during the Worlds. Every away trip we get the board up when we’ve got time to kill and we play. I’ve got a board at home and I practice all the time!” Reflecting on the Sunday’s setback against Brighton, Maddison recounted a playful exchange following the North London derby: “I got told that he did the darts celebration – he must’ve still been doing it when I turned him for the first goal… I’ll have a little word with him, yeah.” Post-match, Maddison had strong words after Spurs defeated Brentford: “He probably hasn’t scored enough goals in the last couple of years for his own celebration, so he probably had to copy mine!”
Bukayo Saka had previously joined in this darts celebration during the 2023 North London derby after scoring a penalty, engaging in some lighthearted banter with Maddison.Meanwhile, Neal Maupay, following his goal against Spurs, mimicked the dart-throwing celebration, prompting an on-field exchange with Maddison.
Maupay responded on Instagram after the match: “Went a bit early with that one [the celebration]. Gutted we couldn’t get the win. More goals and less relegations in my career than James Maddison. We go again Monday Bees.”
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