Redknapp hails spirit
Harry Redknapp feels belief has flooded back into Tottenham Hotspur after his new charges earned an unlikely point in a thrilling 4-4 north London derby draw away to Arsenal.
The Spurs manager has only been in his new post five days, yet he has already breathed life back into this previously ailing club, following last Sunday's first league win of the season with this extraordinary draw at the home of their fiercest rivals.
Tottenham looked certain to lose as they trailed 4-2 with one minute of normal time remaining but then came a revival that almost defied belief.
First Jermaine Jenas scored a beautifully-crafted goal before Aaron Lennon reacted fastest to Luka Modric's shot hitting the post for the equaliser.
Such a comeback would have been unthinkable at the fag-end of Juande Ramos's tenure, when Tottenham looked bereft of confidence, but Redknapp insists morale is on the up, despite Spurs remaining bottom of the Premier League table.
"I don't know what they were like before but I've tried to make them believe in themselves," the former Portsmouth manager said after Wednesday's extraordinary match at the Emirates Stadium.
"Coming back tonight, they showed what character they have. We were bang in trouble but we picked up a great result on Sunday against Bolton - if you lose to Bolton, you're in big, big trouble. Then we come here and get a point in the way we did. It was amazing."
Proof of Tottenham's renewed assertiveness came in the reaction of their players. David Bentley, who scored Spurs' first goal with a remarkable 40-yard shot over Manuel Almunia, claimed he felt like "Superman" moments after the final whistle, while Jenas was equally eager to hail Redknapp's skills.
"Harry is great motivationally," he said. "The lads have done him a favour today (Wednesday) by reacting to it.
"It showed complete team spirit and togetherness. We always believed.
"We just showed that never-give-in spirit. Any team who comes to the Emirates and gets a result has done well but given the circumstances this is just brilliant."
That said Spurs' resurrection was as much down to Arsenal's defensive failings as their own quality.
The Gunners were inspired after falling behind to Bentley's strike, drawing level with Mikael Silvestre's header and then nudging ahead early in the second half when William Gallas nodded in.
Arsenal laid siege after that, with Emmanuel Adebayor extending the lead after good work from Samir Nasri, and although Darren Bent pulled a goal back after Almunia had blundered again, Robin van Persie's strike from eight yards should have been the killer blow.
It wasn't, and Arsene Wenger must now find a way of lifting his side's ahead of the weekend trip to Stoke City.
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