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| Roberto de zerbi |
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that he kissed Rodrigo Bentancur in the dressing room following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United as a show of support for the midfielder’s reaction during the game.
Bentancur came on in the 66th minute for Lucas Bergvall but lasted only 12 minutes before being sent off after a touchline confrontation with Manchester United defender Luke Shaw.
The Uruguayan was shown a straight red card after appearing to throw his head towards Shaw during the altercation.
Although De Zerbi condemned the incident, the Tottenham boss said Bentancur’s reaction reflected the character and fighting spirit his team needed at the moment.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, De Zerbi said Tottenham had finally shown the ability to respond to difficult situations as a team.
“Today, we showed we are a team for the first time this season. We play as a team. We suffer, we dominate the game. But in every situation, we were in the game,” he said.
The Italian manager added that while he did not approve of Bentancur’s red card, he appreciated the midfielder’s refusal to accept defeat.
“Football is like this. I think this character, I like the situation with Rodrigo [Bentancur] with the red card. We need it in this moment, this situation. Not to bring a red card, but we have not accepted the defeat. We have to not accept conceding a goal,” De Zerbi said.
“We have to react in all ways we can. It’s a bad way; it’s not the right way, but I kissed Bentancur in the dressing room because we need this reaction, this type of reaction with character. Football is character.”
Tottenham had to come from behind after Bryan Mbeumo put Manchester United ahead in the 73rd minute, converting after receiving a pass from Cunha.
The hosts, however, found a late equaliser when Dominic Solanke headed home in the 92nd minute to secure a point.
Solanke said Tottenham’s response after falling behind was a positive sign, especially after their struggles to react to setbacks earlier in the season.
“A few times we haven’t reacted in the right way when going a goal down, but today we showed fight and grit. I should have had a hat-trick. I wasn’t clinical enough. I know that. But I kept going. I was getting in the right positions to put one away,” Solanke said.
The striker, who captained Tottenham for the first time, also described scoring the equaliser as a memorable moment in his career.
“It’s my first time being captain for a great club. To score as well. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my career. It’s something to build on. We haven’t been good enough this season. Hopefully this is the start of something good,” he added.
Solanke also reflected on Tottenham’s dominance in the first half, admitting that they failed to make their chances count.
“In the first half we dominated. We weren’t clinical enough – a story of the season. We could have been a few goals ahead. We’ll take a point.”