De Zerbi hails Bentancur's reaction despite red card in draw with United
Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Tottenham, with Dominic Solanke's stoppage-time equaliser rescuing a point for Spurs after Rodrigo Bentancur had been sent off, and the aftermath of that red card has dominated coverage.
The Evening Standard focuses on the performances from the game itself, noting that Solanke's late leveller lifted Tottenham off the bottom of the Premier League table, and handing out six 8/10 ratings to United players while singling out Bentancur as the man who let his side down (Evening Standard).
The main talking point elsewhere is Roberto De Zerbi's reaction to his midfielder's dismissal. ESPN reports that the Spurs boss revealed he "kissed" Bentancur after the red card, saying the "character" and reaction shown was exactly what his team needs (ESPN).
BBC Sport covers similar ground, with one piece stating De Zerbi felt the decision to send off Bentancur was correct, while still admitting he liked the "reaction" his player showed and wants to see more of that attitude from the rest of the squad (BBC Sport). A separate BBC Sport report quotes De Zerbi as saying "I kissed Rodrigo and said thanks," confirming he "liked" the sending off despite the setback it caused in the 1-1 draw (BBC Sport).
All three outlets covering De Zerbi's comments are in agreement: the Spurs head coach accepted the referee's decision was correct but publicly praised Bentancur's fiery response, framing it as the kind of fight he wants from his players. The Evening Standard's angle is slightly different, concentrating on the on-pitch ratings rather than De Zerbi's post-match remarks, but it confirms the same scoreline and the context of Tottenham playing with ten men (Evening Standard).
Taken together, the reports paint a picture of a dramatic draw at Old Trafford in which United were pegged back late on, and where Tottenham's manager found a silver lining in his player's red card, even kissing him in gratitude for the attitude it showed.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.