Dawson keeps Spurs in top four

Michael Dawson smashed in a superb equaliser as Tottenham came from behind to draw 1-1 with Aston Villa and retain their place in the Premier League’s top four.

Harry Redknapp chose Dawson as his stand-in captain for the day and his on-the-field leader rewarded him with a captain’s contribution as Spurs maintained their three-point advantage over Martin O’Neill’s side in the race for a top four finish.

If Redknapp was delighted with their nine-goal performance against Wigan last weekend, he will be equally pleased with this display in the back-yard of their chief rivals in the bid to make the most of Liverpool’s malaise this season.

Dawson’s 77th minute strike was no more than Spurs deserved after dominating for long periods and it came just minutes after Jermain Defoe had a goal ruled out for a Thierry Henry-style handball.

Referee Phil Dowd spotted the England striker controlling a deflection of Steve Sidwell with his hand before prodding the ball into the net after Tom Huddlestone’s earlier shot had been saved by Brad Friedel.

But Villa could not hang on to the 9th minute lead given them by Gabriel Agbonlahor’s eighth goal of the season.

O’Neill spent much of the build up desperately trying to play down the significance of the head-on clash between two top four wannabees.

He even suggested Spurs are favourites ahead of Villa to break the Big Four monopoly this season and that his side have some way to go to catch them and on this evidence he is right.

Both clubs look set for a titanic struggle for the remainder of the season with a host of England internationals desperate to make a point to Fabio Capello before his final squad selection for the World Cup in South Africa.

Agbonlahor made his point early here after Carlos Cuellar’s near-post header, from James Milner’s corner was cleared off the line by Benoit Assou-Ekotto and there was more than a hint of handball about his intervention.

But Villa hardly had time to appeal before Agbonlahor – who has spent the summer pumping iron, showed all his new strength to muscle Villa in front.

The rebound from Assou-Ekotto fell in a crowded six-yard box and Agbonlahor held off two Spurs defenders in the scramble before forcing the ball over the goalline.

Everything Defoe touched last weekend against Wigan turned to gold, but he was out of sorts here and was unable to beat Friedel from close range soon after Villa had gone ahead.

The Villa goalkeeper’s block rebounded into the path of Dawson and the Spurs defender smashed the kind of shot Defoe would have been proud to claim, only to see Carlos Cuellar do the splits on the goalline and clear.

O’Neill got a close up view of the Spurs destruction of Wigan and felt Niko Kranjcar was the most dangerous player on view, despite Defoe’s five goals.

And Friedel had to be on his mettle twice to prevent the Croat from hitting back for Spurs.

He tipped over one fine first time strike from the edge of the area, after Richard Dunne’s poor clearance.

Then, early in the second half, Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch combined to set up Kranjcar in a similar position and again the former Portsmouth midfielder found excellent contact, but not sufficient direction to beat Friedel’s dive.

Defoe thought he had equalised when Sidwell headed the ball directly into his path but his arm clearly moved towards the ball after Friedel had saved Huddlestone’s powerful shot.

Defoe’s misery did not last long and when the ball fell kindly to Dawson in the penalty area, the defender chested the ball down superbly before letting fly with a powerful shot that Friedel could get nowhere near and it was no more than Spurs deserved.