Dawson dismisses ‘dirty’ talk after hard-fought point

TOTTENHAM captain Michael Dawson, inset, insisted the 0-0 draw with leaders Manchester United was not a dirty one.

Seven yellow cards were shown in the Barclays Premier League clash at White Hart Lane, while Manchester United full-back Rafael was sent off in the second half.

“Not at all,” Dawson said when asked if the game had been played in the wrong spirit.

“There were two sets of players that gave everything, I wouldn’t say it was a dirty game.

“When they went down to 10 we thought we could go on and win the game but it wasn’t to be. We got the clean sheet.

“When you’re a defender you always like to get a clean sheet and credit to them, and to our lads.”

Midfielder Luka Modric was disappointed that Spurs could not take all three points.

He added: “The game was very tight and there wasn’t much space but we played a good game.

“We are disappointed, especially when they went to 10 men, that we didn’t score. It’s a fair result.

“It’s a sign of the times that we’re disappointed with a draw against such a big team.”