Spurs can stay in top four: Redknapp

November 8, 2009

Harry Redknapp admitted Tottenham were lucky to claim the win that lifted them into the top four of the Premier League.

But the Spurs boss does not see any reason why his side, who leapfrogged Manchester City with a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday, cannot stay in the Champions League qualifying places.

After back-to-back league defeats, Redknapp was relieved to get back to winning ways and, with Liverpool struggling, he believes the battle for top four places is wide open.

“Man City will be right there, Aston Villa will be right there and looking to push the top four,” Redknapp said. “I think ourselves, the top four are very, very strong obviously and I think ourselves Villa and City will all be having a go.

“There’s no reason you can’t do it. It’s not impossible to do.”

Spurs were jeered off by their own supporters at half-time, despite leading through Robbie Keane’s early strike, and were fortunate that Heurelho Gomes was not sent off for bringing down Darren Bent to concede a second half penalty that the Brazilian goalkeeper then saved.

“We were very fortunate, the keeper’s had a fantastic day but that’s how it goes,” Redknapp added. “We got three points, you can play well and get nothing. We’ve got (Aaron) Lennon and (Luka) Modric to come back and when they come back we’ll play differently again.”

Tom Huddlestone went on to seal Tottenham’s win with a thunderbolt shot but Sunderland boss Steve Bruce insisted his side had suffered because referee Kevin Friend may have been influenced by the White Hart Lane crowd when he only gave Gomes a yellow card.

“For me the goalkeeper’s denied him a goalscoring opportunity so I can’t go along with the referee’s explanation to me which was he was going away from goal,” Bruce said. “That’s a load of nonsense.

“I think he’s taken the ball around him. If you look at where the ball goes, it doesn’t even go out of play, so Benty for me gets on the end of it, and yes there might be somebody on the line, but I would fancy him to score when he goes round the keeper in that situation.

“Now it might have been a different result, the reserve goalkeeper might have come on and saved it but we would have been playing against 10 men with half an hour to go so that would have given us a huge advantage.”

Bruce added: “I have to question if that had been the Stadium of Light we might have got a different decision.”

LONDON (AFP)

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