Leicester City hero James Maddison has been awarded a MOTM rating for his performance against Newcastle United at the weekend, although it's not quite for what you might expect.    

The Foxes defeated the Geordies 4-0 at the King Power Stadium on Sunday - but their star man is getting a fair bit of stick from opposition fans on Twitter.   

Leicester took the lead thanks to a first half penalty from Youri Tielemans with Brendan Rodgers' men soon establishing a stranglehold over the game as Eddie Howe's side struggled to get back into it.

Maddison won the penalty after defender Jamaal Lascelles was adjudged to taken his legs out completely from underneath him which prompted the England international to go down without too much by way of an invitation. 

However, fans were quick to accuse Maddison of essentially conning the match officials with one even suggesting the player has a habit of doing so on a regular basis, while another gave him a rating out of ten for his acrobatic effort. 

One tweeted: "James Maddison MOTM for his 10/10 dive. I’ve heard Tom Daley is after his number to recruit him as his coach for the next Olympics."

Another wrote in reply: "Maddison diving, water is wet. Intolerable footballer."

Fans react to Maddison's dive against Newcastle
Fans react to Maddison's dive against Newcastle

Others felt Lascelles had every right to feel aggrieved, as they pointed out Maddison was the one who actually initiated the contact in the first place. 

One tweeted: "Maddison has absolutely launched himself at Lascelles there. Dive."

Another wrote in reply: "Maddison halfway in the air by the time he reaches Lascelles."

Fans react to Maddison's dive against Newcastle

WATCH: Did Maddison dive against Newcastle?

Check out the video below...

And one Newcastle fan was quick to call on the Premier League to take swift action, tweeting: "Allegedly the best league in the world and this penalty stands…. Embarrassing."

While another wrote: "What a diving cheat this really [needs] stamping out where’s the bar?"

But perhaps this angry fan summed it up best: "It was a blatant dive, simple as that."

Fans react to Maddison's dive against Newcastle
Fans react to Maddison's dive against Newcastle
Fans react to Maddison's dive against Newcastle

Howe himself felt the decision should have gone to VAR to avoid any controversy.

Speaking after the game, he said: “I’m surprised that it hasn’t gone to VAR for the referee to have another look himself. It’s obviously a contentious decision, and I’d always encourage the referees to go and have another look themselves.

“I don’t think the scoreline is reflective of the game, and I think the penalty decision has obviously had a huge bearing on the outcome. In my opinion, I don’t think it was a penalty.

“Maddison is going over before the contact is made, and it’s just disappointing the referee didn’t go over to have another look at it himself. That would have been the best decision.”

Is Antonio Rudiger worth £400k per week? Watch the latest from The Football Terrace...