Asked if he could see his side winning late on, Redknapp
told talkSPORT: "No way. We were bang under the cosh.
"They had the extra man and we looked like we were tired. We were desperate and then we go and get a fantastic goal. What a finish."
Redknapp felt midfielder O'Neil might have been shown a
yellow card for his challenge on forward Johnny Russell and said the sending
off had left Rangers defending for their lives.
"I thought he wasn't the last man, there was another
defender behind him," Redknapp told the BBC. "I thought he would get
a yellow but that's life.
"We were bang in trouble but we showed great character
and it was amazing. That was a one-off where you stand on the touchline,
hanging on for grim death and get a goal like that.
"I wanted to do it for the people here (at Wembley),
the owners and the players. They are fantastic people."
Chairman Tony Fernandes said that despite the red card he
was still confident they would win, adding "I'm the most relieved and
happiest man (at Wembley). We're back in the Premier League thanks to Bobby and
all the boys."
Redknapp played down speculation that, despite securing QPR's return to the elite after one season in the Championship, he might not be manager at the west London club next season.
If he is in charge Redknapp will have a few scores to settle
when he returns to several Premier League clubs he has managed, chief among
them Tottenham Hotspur who sacked him in 2012.
The 67-year-old may also be able to banish the memories of
losing out on the job of England coach to Roy Hodgson.
"I'm looking forward to next season, but I'm looking
forward to having a break and then having a good look at it and see where we
go," Redknapp told reporters at Wembley. "I haven't even thought
about what next year brings."
Redknapp established himself as one of England's best
coaches at a time when Premier League clubs were turning increasingly to
foreign managers.
As well as Spurs and QPR, he has managed Bournemouth, West
Ham United and fierce local rivals Southampton and Portsmouth, whose fans have
never forgiven him for switching his allegiance between the clubs in the two
south-coast port cities.
Redknapp was sacked by Tottenham at the end of the 2011-12
season, despite steering them to the Champions League quarter-finals in the
previous campaign. Some supporters believed he had become distracted by
speculation about the England job.
Redknapp's frustration at not getting the
national team post still rankles and in his autobiography he said he
"wouldn't trust the FA to show me a good manager if their lives depended
on it." He will now hope to
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