A hard fought 1-1 draw it was at the Villa and I only went and called it, didn't I? I didn't envisage Michael Dawson, stand-in-skipper, grabbing a fine equaliser but my predicting skills are getting better and better - this coming from the man who thought Spurs would only get a nervy win over Wigan.In the battle to see who was better equipped to have a crack at the top four or, more realistically, just to see who's likely to come fifth, Spurs and Villa cancelled each other out in an absorbing but never really exciting game at Villa Park. The home side's early goal, courtesy of a bundled finish from Gabriel Agbonlahor and some hapless Spurs defending, ensured that Tottenham would be chasing the game and they responded brilliantly by launching a well planned and steady assault on the Villa goal. Jermain Defoe was a live wire, clearly buzzing on the confidence of his five goal haul last week. The only thing he couldn't do was score; he even had one chalked off for using his hand, the cheeky bugger. Looks like only Thierry Henry and Paul Scharner are allowed to do that.Niko Kranjcar was again superb, drifting infield from his customary left wing berth and threatening with his every touch of the ball. He managed some testing efforts on goal, too - the one touch move that resulted in him half-volleying Peter Crouch's knockdown towards the net would have been one of the finest goals ever seen were it not for the outstretched hand of Brad Friedel. Crouch was his usual ever present self, providing the aerial dominance and neat flicks that help his team-mates so much. He didn't go too close to scoring but his unselfish game is becoming more and more useful to the fighting cause as the weeks go by.Aaron Lennon wasn't at his supreme, Wigan-like best but was still very much a handful. He often found himself in space on the right and produced some wonderful moments of skill and trickery. His final ball wasn't that pretty at times but that'll get better with time (hopefully). Tom Huddlestone was also a player who caught the eye. An ever-present for Tottenham this season in the Premier League, his crisp passing and midfield positioning was on display from all to see, including Franco Baldini, Fabio Capello's assistant, in the stands. And all this from a player we were previously lamenting for having anonymous away games. He's a man on the up, for sure; a result, surely, of Harry Redknapp's influence as coach.Tottenham pressed hard for almost the entire game and just as it looked as though we wouldn't be rewarded for our fine endeavours, a high ball was knocked into the path of the marauding Dawson. The defender controlled the ball using his upper arm chest and lashed a splendid shot high into the net for a more than deserved leveller. Relief was paramount - Seb Bassong looked as if he was going to cry, he was so elated. Spurs pressed on and could have stolen the win when Lennon's whipped cross flashed across the face of goal but Defoe was unable to make contact and Redknapp's men had to make do with a point.Although the result moves Spurs temporarily up to third place, the game was surely a contest to determine (for now at least) who is on top of the pile behind the top four. And despite the neutral result, you have to sense that Tottenham have the better quality. The attacking forces of Defoe, Robbie Keane, Crouch, Lennon, Kranjcar and the returning Luka Modric look more likely to provide a goal than Villa's front men and there's an all round confidence about Spurs that is providing some irresistible football at present.
Tough tests are still to come, however, and as with the Wigan result, Redknapp will be well advised to urge his players to immediately move on to the next game and past the hang ups of this one. The matches with the likes of Villa, Man City and other fifth place contenders are surely going to be crucial in determining Tottenham's final position this season and whilst a point away at Villa is nothing to frown at, there will come a time in the future when three points are vitally necessary and Spurs will need to be at their premium to ensure they don't slip away in those types of games.
But, for now, all credit to them. Tottenham are synonymous with dropping heads and flailing confidence and to come back from going down to such a weak early goal speaks volumes about their new-found belief. There's an ability there, that's for sure, and Redknapp is currently and quietly harnessing as much of it as he can. Their collective response to going a goal down was perfect today and, for the supposed away team, they dominated the rest of the game.
Finally, massive happiness and relief to Dawson. His perfect day as captain was almost reduced to nothingness when his first half goal-bound effort was heroically blocked off the line by Carlos Cuellar. So it was particularly heart warming for him to lash in the equaliser late in the game. A fitting end to an excellent display from the loyal centre back. Good on you, Daws.