Rafael van der Vaart says he was happy for Tottenham teammate Jermain Defoe over his goal in their 2-2 draw at Newcastle United.

Defoe replaced the Dutch ace before netting superbly.

"Jermain scored a great goal and at that moment I thought we were going to win the game. Newcastle scored a good equaliser, and that was a pity," Van der Vaart told the Spurs website.

"It was a good opportunity to win and get above Newcastle, but in the end perhaps it was a fair result.

"The next league game is Blackburn and we'll be looking to get the three points again."

As for his penalty, Van der Vaart added: "There is always pressure when you take a penalty and I'm glad it went in because the goalkeeper is a Dutchman and he knows me well. I was happy to see it go in."