‘I kissed Rodrigo’ — De Zerbi’s Spurs find a spark in ten-man Old Trafford draw
Sunday 11 October 2026 · By Adam Lewis
Roberto De Zerbi’s post-match comments were as unexpected as the result. “I kissed Rodrigo,” the Tottenham Hotspur head coach said of Rodrigo Bentancur, who had just been sent off for headbutting Luke Shaw, and who De Zerbi claimed had given his side a “spark”.
He also called it the wrong reaction from his midfielder. But the spark, if that is what it was, produced a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford.
Spurs were behind from the 73rd minute, when Bryan Mbeumo scored for Manchester United, and a man short for longer. In the 92nd minute, Dominic Solanke got away from Lisandro Martínez and headed in Sandro Tonali’s cross.
It was not the first league win of the season. Spurs remain without one three draws, three defeats and three goals. That record follows a summer spend reported by Fox and AP as around $400m.
The point did lift Spurs from 20th to 18th, and it was earned in difficult circumstances, at a ground where they have often struggled.
Bentancur now faces a suspension. The length is not yet known, though losing him for any period will hurt a midfield already searching for consistency.
De Zerbi will hope the late equaliser changes the mood. His teams are built on confidence and possession, and both have been in short supply. Solanke’s header, at least, was a reminder that the squad will fight.
The next fixture is unusually important for this stage of the season. Coventry City visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday 19 October (20:00, Sky). Coventry have one league goal all season and play Newcastle on Monday.
After Coventry, Spurs travel to Chelsea for the London derby on 24 October (17:30), with Xabi Alonso’s side fresh from a 5–1 win. Crystal Palace visit north London on 31 October (17:30), boosted by Sunday’s 3–1 victory over Forest.
Solanke’s goal was a reward for persistence after Spurs were reduced to ten. His movement to get away from Martínez, one of the most experienced defenders in the league, was sharp, and Tonali’s cross was precise. If those two can build an understanding, Spurs will have a route to goal they have lacked. The bigger question is whether a squad assembled at such cost can start turning draws into wins.
Anything other than a win against Coventry would intensify the scrutiny on De Zerbi and the summer recruitment.
Bentancur’s red card was the latest flash point in a difficult start, and how De Zerbi manages his absence will be closely watched.
A stoppage-time point felt like more than a point. A first victory would mean far more.
Old Trafford provided a point and a talking point. Coventry must provide three points.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the club’s home on the High Road in Tottenham, north London, postcode N17 0BX. It opened in April 2019 on the site of White Hart Lane and holds 62,850, the largest club ground in London. If you are travelling with the away end, the useful fact is simple: visiting supporters are in the north-east corner, not under the golden cockerel. The club places away fans in blocks 114 to 118 of the North Stand, reached through entrances 11 and 12. Wheelchair spaces are in block 234, and the accessible entrance is 11a. Your own club allocates the tickets, and the block can grow for some fixtures, so trust the seat on your ticket rather than a rumour from the train.
The ground is a closed bowl around a pitch of the usual 105 by 68 metres. Looking at the plan above, north is the top. The North Stand, still called the Paxton end after the old White Hart Lane stand, sits behind the northern goal. The South Stand, the Park Lane end, sits behind the southern goal. That south end is a single tier of 17,500 seats, the largest single-tier stand in the country, rising more than 34 metres, with the golden cockerel on the roof. It is the home wall of noise. The West Stand runs along the High Road and is the main stand: the tunnel and dugouts are on this side, with most of the hospitality above. The East Stand faces it across the pitch, along Worcester Avenue. From the away blocks you are behind the northern goal and slightly toward the east touchline, so the South Stand and its cockerel are the view straight down the pitch.
There is no general public parking, and a matchday controlled zone covers the streets around the ground. White Hart Lane station, on the London Overground, is the closest rail stop. Northumberland Park is also close. If those platforms look jammed after the whistle, Tottenham Hale on the Victoria line is a longer walk but often the quicker way out, and Seven Sisters is another option. Build in time for the walk and for searches at the turnstile. Stewards will check tickets and bags. The sensible kit is a phone with your ticket, a contactless card and a small bag within the size the club publishes for that match. Oversized bags are turned away, and there is nowhere useful to leave them.
The away section has its own concourse, toilets and food outlets, so you do not need to cross into home areas. Do not try to. Away supporters in home seats can be refused entry or ejected, and touted tickets are the usual way people end up in the wrong block. Seats in the visitors’ section use a rail rather than a conventional seat-back in the standing-friendly rows; block 118 is the one your club can use for supporters who want to sit. The sightline is close — the front row around the ground is only about five to eight metres from the touchline — but the far goal, under the South Stand, is a long way off. Upper tiers elsewhere give a cleaner tactical view. You will not be in them.
Expect the South Stand to be loud from the teams’ walkout. The Goal Line bar under that stand is billed as Europe’s longest, and the concourses generally borrow from London street food, with plant-based options as well as the usual matchday fare. Drink prices are stadium prices. The pitch itself is hybrid grass that splits and slides away under the South Stand when the ground stages NFL games, but on a football Saturday you are looking at the grass. After the match, follow the stewarding out of entrances 11 and 12 rather than drifting toward the High Road home exits. Check the club’s visiting supporters page the day before you travel: turnstile opening times, bag sizes and any competition-specific rules change, and your club’s travel notes will usually repeat the bits that matter for that fixture.