• Premier League

Dawson: I thought we had reached the top four

ESPN staff
May 19, 2013
Michael Dawson was left disappointed at the final whistle © Getty Images
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Michael Dawson has revealed he believed Tottenham had overtaken Arsenal to reach next season's Champions League and secure a top four finish.

Spurs beat Sunderland 1-0 thanks to a wonder strike from Gareth Bale near the end, but needing Arsenal to slip up at Newcastle, instead their North London rivals came away from St James' Park with a 1-0 victory and finished a point ahead of Tottenham.

At one stage during the Spurs game, the crowd at White Hart Lane began to celebrate as they thought Newcastle had equalised, and Dawson was under the impression his side had got the job done come the final whistle.

"Yeah, I thought that was it [Spurs in the top-four] because of the celebrations around the ground from our fans," Dawson told Sky Sports after the match.

"I didn't hear anything else, then towards the end after Gaz [Bale] scored I sort of picked things up that the fans weren't as lively as we would've liked if we'd been in the top four, and you sort of got that feeling towards the end of the game.

"It's a hard day. We went out there, did our job and unfortunately it wasn't good enough. To get 72 points, the biggest total the club have ever got and not qualify for the Champions League is hard. As a team, players and a football club, we can take positives. But to miss out on the Champions League, this is not a good day."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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