Third-placed Spurs arrived in south Wales as arguably the top flight's form side, having lost just once in the league since the end of August, and victory would have seen them capitalise on Manchester United's surprise defeat against Blackburn and close within four points of the league summit. They had looked set to do so when Rafael van der Vaart gave them a 44th-minute lead, sweeping home his first goal for two months after Swansea midfielder Joe Allen had inadvertently turned Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross back towards his own goal. But Swansea refused to be bowed despite conceding at such a crucial juncture, and an extended period of second-half pressure yielded an equaliser as Scott Sinclair pounced on Brad Friedel's failure to hold a deflected Angel Rangel centre and gave the Welsh club the first point they have picked up this season after going behind. And Rodgers explained how he had rallied his troops following Van der Vaart's opener. "This will be a really good result for us psychologically," he said. "I said to the players at half-time that we don't want to come off the field as heroic losers, to put so much in and end up with nothing to show for it. "People would be saying it's alright playing our tippy-tappy football but it's no good if you then lose the game, but it was a fantastic performance. "It's always good to put on a performance and result against a top team and you can see our growth. "When we lost at home against Manchester United we were stand-offish and not ourselves, so you could see we had learned from that." The win ensures that Swansea, tipped by many for a rapid return to the Championship, will enter 2012 five points clear of the relegation zone. And few could argue that they did not deserve a share of the spoils, as they managed to limit the effectiveness of the likes of Gareth Bale, the recipient of so much praise this week, and Luka Modric with a bold performance. Rodgers said: "A draw was the least we deserved against a team who coming into today were the form team in the country, and one of the best passing teams. "We were brilliant on the day, we were very unfortunate to go behind, there was a deflection which took the ball on to Van der Vaart. "It was a bit harsh but we had to keep going and keep going and we knew the opportunities would come. "In the second half we showed the belief and confidence in the group. Our passing and energy was incredible, a point was the least we deserved." Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp was left to rue the "catalogue of errors" that denied his side all three points, but heaped praise on Swansea's attractive passing style. "It was a sloppy goal," he said. "One or two of them switched off and we didn't pick up Sinclair, we have let him come in unmarked so it was a catalogue of errors, but that's how it goes. "It was a tight game, they are a good side, I like the way they play. "The way they pass is amazing really. The belief Brendan has installed into them to play is top class. "Anyone coming here and winning will do well, only United have won here and that was a tough game. "You are obviously disappointed when you are winning and get pegged back, but the last 20 minutes they came on strong and, in the end, deserved their equaliser." Spurs' efforts to hold on for the win were particularly hurt by the knee injury that forced Scott Parker off with 19 minutes to go. The Tottenham skipper picked up the problem in the first half, and his removal coincided with Swansea's ultimately successful late surge. But Redknapp says the injury will need to be assessed before determining its full extent. "It's too early to say (how bad it is). He took a bang on the knee in the first half and you could see how he was struggling but he carried on with it," said Redknapp. "He has made a massive difference since he came in, we haven't lost many when he has played. I think only once he has been on the losing team, he has been that important."
