HARRY REDKNAPP attached no blame for Everton's heartbreaking injury-time equaliser on striker Peter Crouch.

With Saints 2-1 up, and the game already into stoppage time, the big hitman made a quick break down the right and headed for goal.

He has come in for some flack for opting to shoot rather than hold onto the ball and run down the clock.

Nigel Martyn easily saved his effort and pumped the ball long, where Marcus Bent accelerated away from Calum Davenport and slammed into the top corner of the net to dramatically level.

But Redknapp defended his in-form striker, who earlier had headed his eighth goal of the season.

The manager remarked: "What can you say to the lad?

"He's got through on goal and somebody's said he should have run to the corner, but it's very difficult when you're running in on goal to turn out and run to the corner flag.

"He's a striker and his instinct is to try and score.

"If he'd have put it in the back of the net we'd have said 'what a goal.'

"If he'd have kicked it wide we'd have got our shape back, got two banks of four and they wouldn't have scored.

"The one place we didn't want it to go was in the keeper's hands - and he's kicked it quickly while we were all looking to go forward and score another goal but we get done with one long ball out to Bent and, to be fair, a good finish."

Redknapp, whose side are now second from bottom after Norwich's weekend victory, added: "The only thing you can say is that we looked a proper football team.

"We had a shape about us, we played some great football, we were a threat all day up front.

"Unfortunately with 30 seconds to go when Crouchy went through I was hoping he'd kick it in the crowd or put it in the back of the net.

"The one thing I didn't want him to do was let the keeper pick it up.

"Unfortunately he did, it gave them one last attack and they scored.

"Before then I couldn't see them scoring.

"We were way on top of the game, we were by far the better team and we deserved the three points."