De Zerbi defends Bentancur after red card in Spurs draw with Man Utd

Roberto De Zerbi insists Tottenham “played very well” after Dominic Solanke’s stoppage-time header rescued a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

With quotes via football.london , the Italian coach was speaking after his 10-man side came from behind at Old Trafford. Sandro Tonali, who joined from Newcastle in a mega-money move in the summer, provided the cross for the equaliser.

“I think we played very well against a great team,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports. “We had many chances to score in the first half. Three or four. The second half is normal to suffer against this quality. I am very happy because I have seen the right spirit and character.”

Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead in the 73rd minute after Matheus Cunha found him in the box. Five minutes later Spurs were down to 10, when substitute Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for thrusting his head into Luke Shaw’s. De Zerbi was surprisingly forgiving.

“I kissed Rodrigo, and I said thanks, because it’s clear it’s a mistake from Rodrigo, because it’s not the right reaction in football, but now Tottenham needs to react. Sometimes the reactions are not nice, not positive for the team, but I think in that moment, in 10 players, maybe we played with more courage, we played with more energy, and we changed the game. For a long time Tottenham played without this blood, this character, and I want it. Now I am the coach, and I want to see this character every game.”

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 15: Roberto De Zerbi, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, looks on before the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on September 15, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) De Zerbi explains Solanke captaincy Solanke wore the armband on Saturday, a decision De Zerbi made to show his faith in a striker who has faced heavy criticism.

“He deserves to be a captain today, because he suffered maybe too much, because ‘Tottenham didn’t win, Tottenham didn’t score, who is the striker of Tottenham? Solanke is not good enough’, it’s not true. Solanke is good enough to play, maybe he is the best striker for us, because of his qualities. He is a complete player, he is a good guy, he has personality. After the last game, the criticism, I wanted to put him as captain, to show my confidence and the confidence of the team, because all the other players were happy when I said that Domi Solanke is captain.”

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 18: Roberto De Zerbi, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 18, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) De Zerbi felt it was the first time this season that Spurs had looked like a team.

“For sure, we didn’t deserve to lose the game, we deserved to be one, two goals up in the first half. Today has been the game where, for the first time this season, we showed we are a team. We played for our team-mates, we played together, we believed until the end of the game.”

Spurs now head to Marbella for a training camp, which he sees as a chance to build on that unity.

“Now the target is to build the team, not the group of players. We have a great group of players but we are not a team yet. Work together, stay together, have dinner together and get to know each other better.”