Bale praises Tottenham character

Tottenham star Gareth Bale says the belief his side showed against Manchester City will help them in their bid to finish in the top four.

The Welshman recovered from an ankle injury to play 90 minutes at White Hart Lane on Sunday, and was in fine form as he setup Clint Dempsey for Tottenham’s equaliser before scoring the hosts’ third as they came from a goal down to win 3-1.

And the 23-year-old, who had joy in the second half when moving out wide, praised his team-mates for fighting until the very end against the reigning champions as they grabbed a vital win.

“They don’t play with wingers, so it was compact in the middle,” he told Sky Sports. “At half-time the gaffer said there’s more space out wide and it proved a good move in the end. (It was) great to get three points.

“(The equaliser) gave us the belief to go on and win it. As soon as that went in, the crowd lifted, we lifted and we showed the character in the team that we’ve got.”

The result keeps Andre Villas-Boas’ men in with a great chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Bale feels the win over City will boast their confidence in the run-in.

“It’s massive, the club’s moving forward every year, and the players want to be playing in the Champions League playing against the best teams,” he said.

“We showed that today, that’s why we’re going to push until the end of the season to make the top four.”

Jermain Defoe came off the bench to fire Tottenham 2-1 up and was delighted to find the net, while the England forward also lauded his colleagues for their impressive turnaround.

“Before the game we knew it would be difficult,” he said.

“(They’re a) great team and great players, but we showed great character, the lads played well and everyone dug in. The finish was unbelievable, everyone is happy.

“As a forward you want to score goals, but as I’ve always said the most important thing is to get three points – but I’m delighted, (it was) good to see it go in.”