Tottenham manager De Zerbi praised Bentancur for showing fighting spirit.

Tottenham Hotspur managed to draw 1-1 with Manchester United in Saturday's Premier League away game, despite playing with 10 men, thanks to a stoppage-time goal.

In the 78th minute, Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was shown a straight red card for headbutting Luke Shaw. In a post-match interview, Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi publicly defended his player and highly praised the team's fighting spirit.

In a media interview, De Zerbi stated frankly: "I like Rodrygo's attitude when he received the red card. We need that kind of spirit right now, not to get red cards, but because we must never accept defeat or conceding goals easily."

"Responding in this way was indeed terrible and inappropriate, but I kissed Bentancur in the locker room because the team needed that kind of spirited counterattack. Football is all about character and will."

Looking back on the entire match, De Zerbi was pleased with the team's tactical execution and resilience: "Facing a top team, we controlled the situation in the first half and created many excellent opportunities but failed to score; it was normal to withstand the opponent's high-pressure defense in the second half."

“I’m very pleased to see the right mentality. This is the first time this season that we’ve truly shown what a cohesive team looks like. We can dominate the game and withstand adversity. If we can maintain this focus and intensity in every game going forward, we will win many matches.”

Image source: Internet/Tottenham Hotspur official website