HARRY Redknapp has hailed Michael Dawson’s “outstanding” comeback against Chelsea as the England international made his first appearance for three months.

Dawson missed 20 Tottenham games after sustaining an injury on England duty but returned as captain and played the full 90 minutes in yesterday’s 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.

“Michael was outstanding,” said Redknapp. “Younes Kaboul wasn’t fit, William Gallas injured a hamstring, so the only centre-half we had apart from Sebastien Bassong was Michael.

“It’s his first week back and I threw him in at the deep end. What a competitor, what a man. He’s fantastic.”

Redknapp believes that the draw was a fair result, but the manager has revealed that he warned his players to stay on the attack and push for a second goal, rather than trying to defend their slender lead.

“We came in at half-time and I thought we looked quite comfortable. They created very little in the first half but they were always going to press us in the second half and come looking for the equaliser,” said Redknapp.

“They were chasing the game and suddenly we started to take a backward step.

“At 1-0, it’s difficult. I said at half-time that I didn’t want us to sit back or be pushed back and that we had to stay positive. I felt we could score again in the second half.

“Credit to Chelsea though, they are the champions, they don’t give up, they penned us in for long spells and kept the ball well, but they didn’t create that many chances.

“It was an exciting game. We attacked and suddenly we’d have five players out of the game trying to get back, then they would attack us. We were open, they were open and it was end-to-end stuff.

“It was a good, entertaining game of football and no-one deserved to lose really. A draw was a fair result. It would have been harsh if we’d have got beaten at the end.”