Roberto De Zerbi Says He 'Kissed Bentancur In Dressing Room' After Red Card

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi made an unexpected admission after his side earned a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, revealing that he kissed Rodrigo Bentancur in the dressing room following the midfielder’s red card. De Zerbi acknowledged that the dismissal was a mistake but praised the fighting spirit Tottenham showed to rescue a point at Old Trafford.

Manchester United looked set to claim all three points after Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute. Tottenham’s task became harder five minutes later when Bentancur was sent off for headbutting Luke Shaw during a heated confrontation.

The incident followed a challenge by Bentancur and Shaw’s reaction, with the Tottenham midfielder shown a straight red card. Spurs were left to finish the contest with 10 men as they searched for a late response.

However, De Zerbi viewed the reaction from his players as an important sign of character. Speaking after the match, the Italian revealed how he responded to Bentancur in the dressing room.

“I kiss Bentancur in the dressing room. Football is character,” De Zerbi said, explaining that Tottenham needed to show greater determination when facing adversity.

The manager also made clear that he did not consider the red card itself acceptable. He praised the refusal to surrender but acknowledged that Bentancur had chosen the wrong way to express his frustration.

Despite being a player down, Tottenham continued to push for an equaliser and were rewarded in stoppage time. Dominic Solanke headed home Sandro Tonali’s cross in the 92nd minute to secure a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

De Zerbi said he appreciated the way his team responded after the dismissal, arguing that the players showed greater courage and energy while under pressure.

“We have not accepted the defeat. We have to react in all ways we can. It is a bad way, it is not the right way,” he said.

The result gave Tottenham a point after they had threatened to leave Manchester empty-handed. For De Zerbi, the late goal was evidence of the resilience he wants to see from his squad, although Bentancur’s dismissal also underlined the need to channel that aggression more effectively.