Tottenham’s response after Bentancur red card pleases De Zerbi
Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for headbutting Luke Shaw during Tottenham’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United, but Roberto De Zerbi later said he had kissed the midfielder and thanked him. Dominic Solanke’s header in the second minute of added time rescued a point after Spurs had fallen behind.
A mistake, but a reaction De Zerbi wanted
The BBC reported that the dismissal followed a reckless challenge on Shaw, who shoved Bentancur off the pitch during a melee. Bentancur reacted by thrusting his head towards the United defender’s face, and referee Stuart Attwell sent him off.
De Zerbi was clear that the act itself was wrong. He described it as a mistake and not the right reaction in football, while arguing that the response from the rest of the side after going down to 10 men showed the courage and energy Tottenham had been missing.
Bentancur has been part of Tottenham’s midfield since arriving from Juventus in 2022, and De Zerbi’s public support came at a difficult moment for a side still searching for consistency. Spurs have three points from six Premier League matches, remain winless and are in the relegation zone. Bentancur’s role in Tottenham’s midfield gives the incident added significance, but the manager’s distinction was between the disciplinary error and the refusal to accept defeat.
Building a team from the reaction
De Zerbi said the Old Trafford performance was the first time this season Tottenham had played as a team, pointing to their effort to attack and defend together. He praised the spirit shown after the red card, not the red card itself; that distinction matters when a manager is trying to ask for greater resolve without making a sending-off look like a virtue.
The broader problem is still plain enough. Tottenham have scored only three league goals, with only 19th-placed Coventry scoring fewer, despite adding 10 players after spending more than £250 million over the summer. The club’s summer spending has not yet translated into a reliable start, leaving De Zerbi with a new-look squad that still needs to become a functioning team.
Spurs were expected to travel to Marbella on Sunday 11 October for a warm-weather training camp aimed at bringing the group closer together. Their next league fixture is against Coventry on Monday 19 October, followed by a trip to Chelsea on Saturday 24 October. No disciplinary ruling or ban length for Bentancur was confirmed in the reports.
