It was Heung-min Son and James Maddison leading the way for Tottenham Hotspur once again on Sunday afternoon, as the pair combined twice to secure a point for Spurs in the North London derby.
With Spurs behind to a Cristian Romero own goal, James Maddison produced a moment of magic late in the first half to reach the byline and play a low cross into the six-yard box for Heung-min Son to convert.
In the second half, Tottenham found themselves behind again, but replied instantaneously. Maddison was again the architect, robbing Jorginho of the ball and punishing Arsenal by threading a perfect pass through to Son to equalise.
Normally, North London derbies are dominated by Harry Kane. That, of course, is a thing of the past after the talismanic striker jetted off to Germany to join Bayern Munich.
Spurs have coped fairly well without the England captain however, and a large part of that is down to the way Maddison has stepped up since joining the club and taking on the number 10 shirt.
VALLETTA, MALTA – JUNE 16: Harry Kane and James Maddison of England arrive at the stadium prior to the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying round group C match between Malta and England at Ta’ Qali Stadium on June 16, 2023 in Valletta, Malta. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Maddison can fill the Harry Kane void
Speaking to the Evening Standard after the game, Son was full of praise for his new attacking partner.
He said: “Obviously, Harry Kane is one of the best players in the world, but Madders thinks he can go to the same category as him. Taking the number 10 is not the easiest job, but he loves the pressure, loves the responsibility which makes a great player [even] more.
“In every single game he’s the star boy. He’s very, very clever. He always pictures before he receives the ball what he wants to do. His movement is very clever and he’s very unselfish.
“I don’t think people always see it. People see the stats [and say], ‘Look, he needs more goals, needs more assists’. But he’s doing an amazing job for the team with and without the ball.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It’s quite incredible just how well Spurs are doing without Harry Kane. His attacking output and influence on the team was huge, but I always suspected he may be too much of a focal point. With a more well-rounded attack and threats coming from all sides, we are far more difficult to handle now.
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