De Zerbi praised Bentancur after his red card against Manchester United

Tottenham earned a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United on Saturday in the 6th round of the Premier League. Trailing 1-0, Spurs equalised in stoppage time through Dominik Solanke in the 92nd minute. The match had been shaped in part by Rodrigo Bentancur’s dismissal in the 78th minute, with Tottenham still behind at the time.

The midfielder was sent off after a dangerous tackle and an angry reaction when Luke Shaw pushed him. Despite the red card, Roberto De Zerbi praised him after the match and said he had embraced him in the dressing room.

“I liked the situation of Rodrigo’s red card. We need situations like that at the moment. But without getting a red card,” the coach said. He also acknowledged that his player’s response was “not the right way to do it” and “not the right approach”, while arguing that his team had to react rather than accept defeat and concede goals.

The point does not lift Tottenham out of trouble: Spurs are 18th and have yet to win in the league this season. De Zerbi is also under pressure, with any result other than a victory set to put his position in charge of the London club at greater risk.