Roberto de Zerbi praised his midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur after the Uruguayan was sent off in Tottenham’s 1‑1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Bentancur received a red card in the 78th minute for head‑butting Luke Shaw during a heated melee, leaving Spurs a man down. Despite the setback, Tottenham salvaged a point when Dominic Solanke headed in a late equaliser in the 92nd minute. The result keeps the North London club winless after six Premier League games, but the manager said the incident brought a spark to the team.
The incident began when Shaw, after a reckless challenge from Bentancur, chased the midfielder and shoved him off the pitch. Bentancur retaliated by planting his head in Shaw’s face. The two were separated by teammates before referee Stuart Attwell issued the red card. De Zerbi called the dismissal a mistake but argued it was the type of reaction the squad needed to finish the match. “I kissed Rodrigo and said thanks,” he told the press, adding that the team played with more courage and energy after the sending‑off. “For a long time Tottenham played without this blood, this character,” he said.
The 1‑1 draw was Tottenham’s first competitive game in which they played as a cohesive unit, according to De Zerbi. He praised the team’s high‑tempo, fluid football in the first half and noted that the club had shown “the right spirit, the right character.” The manager said the club’s recent transfer window, which added 10 new players, had not yet produced a fully integrated squad. “We are a great group of players but we are not a team yet,” he said, adding that the upcoming warm‑weather training camp in Marbella would help the players bond.
Tottenham’s poor start has left them three points adrift in the relegation zone, with only three points from their opening six matches. The club has failed to win its first six games of a league season only three times before – in 2008‑09, 1955‑56 and 1912‑13. Despite the lack of victories, the team has been one of the league’s more prolific attackers, scoring three goals – only Coventry in 19th place has scored fewer.
De Zerbi’s comments come as Tottenham prepare to face newly‑promoted Coventry on Monday before a trip to Chelsea the following Saturday. The manager remains optimistic that the team’s character and teamwork will translate into better results in the coming fixtures.