LAY OFF THE REF
Maddison holds no grudges after being booked for shirt tribute
BURNLEY 1 McNeil 38 LEICESTER 2 Maddison 33, Morgan 90
JAMES MADDISON says referee Michael Oliver had no option but to book him after he took off his shirt to reveal a heartwarming message in memory of a young cancer victim.
The Leicester playmaker put his side ahead at windswept Turf Moor before looking to the heavens and revealing the words ‘RIP Sophie, I love you’ — a tribute to five-yearold Sophie Taylor, a mascot at Maddison’s former club Norwich, who died in January.
Oliver issued a yellow card and was criticised on social media, but Maddison holds no grudges and hailed the official’s empathy.
‘He’s just doing his job and didn’t have a choice,’ the 22–year-old explained.
‘He didn’t enjoy showing me a yellow and shared his condolences about the passing of Sophie, which I thought was very respectful.’
Maddison’s opener, a fine, curling free-kick from the edge of the area, put the visitors in front following the fourth-minute dismissal of England defender Harry Maguire.
Out- of-form Burnley levelled through teenage winger Dwight McNeil, but substitute Wes Morgan snatched an unlikely victory for Brendan Rodgers’ side with a 90th-minute header.
The visitors’ new manager hailed the impact of Maddison, who was unfortunate not to be selected by Gareth Southgate for England’s Euro 2020 qualifiers.
‘We’ve not really spoken about it,’ Rodgers said of the omission. ‘He’s a good boy and knows where he’s at in his first year in the Premier League. He knows there are a lot of quality players about, but he’s a wonderful talent and will get better and better. He’s going in the right direction.’
Rodgers also revealed Maddison had crawled off his sick bed to play a key role. ‘He was up all night, sick, and wasn’t feeling great,’ Rodgers said.
‘But he gave us everything. He has got wonderful talent, he’s a wonderful technician.’
The win was Leicester’s third in four matches since Rodgers, the former Liverpool boss, moved south from Celtic. He feels he has improved following his stint in Glasgow.
‘I had a brilliant time in Scotland,’ he said. ‘I loved it there but this is the most competitive league in the world and every game is a huge test. I arrive back a better manager, having had experiences at Celtic. Leicester was the perfect club for me.’
Burnley’s Charlie Taylor delivered a blunt assessment on the result. ‘It’s a sickener, really,’ he said. ‘Massively frustrating.’
Since their stunning 2-1 win against Spurs, the Clarets have lost four in a row. ‘Tottenham’s the standard we want to get to,’