Van der Vaart praises Tottenham’s defence

Rafael van der Vaart has praised the Tottenham defence after they held on to record a 2-1 victory over Blackburn at Ewood Park on Sunday.

The Netherlands international scored a goal in each half to give Harry Redknapp’s men the points, but the attacker feels the win was down to the team’s rearguard.

“When you score you’re always in the headlines, but I think the defenders were amazing today. This season they’ve been unbelievable for us,” he stated to the club’s official website.

“It’s my second time here [at Ewood Park], they play with throw-ins, corner kicks and long balls, it’s really difficult to win here. It’s a massive compliment to the boys that we did.”

The win was Spurs‘ fifth victory in six games, and Van der Vaart has stated that his side are confident of achieving a top four finish.

“It was a hard game today but it says a lot that we won here and fought until the end.

“We want to finish in the top four and there’s a long way to go, but we’re full of confidence,” he concluded.

Spurs host London rivals QPR next Sunday, and will look to continue their rise up the table.

By Gareth McKnight