Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi praised Rodrigo Bentancur after he was sent off in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
The Uruguay midfielder was shown a red card for headbutting Luke Shaw during a feisty 78th-minute melee when Spurs were trailing 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Tottenham managed to salvage a point as Dominic Solanke headed home in the second minute of added time.
Spurs remain winless in the Premier League this season after six games, but De Zerbi was thankful to Bentancur for providing a “spark” against United.
“I kiss Rodrigo and say thanks,” De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference.
“In that moment maybe with 10 players we played with more courage, more energy.
“For a long time Tottenham played without this blood, this character.”
The incident happened when Shaw, on the receiving end of a reckless challenge by Bentancur, raced towards the Spurs player and shoved him off the pitch.
Bentancur reacted by planting his head towards Shaw’s face. The pair were separated by their team-mates before referee Stuart Attwell sent the substitute off.
De Zerbi said it was a “mistake” by Bentancur, but added it was the type of reaction Tottenham needed to finish the game.
“I kissed Bentancur in the dressing room because we need this type of reaction, this character. Football is character,” he told Sky Sports.
“I liked the situation with the red card. We need at this moment the situation, not to bring a red card but we need to not accept the defeat.”
‘First time we played like a team’ – could this be a turning point for Spurs?
Despite the late elation sparked by Solanke’s 92nd-minute equaliser, Tottenham remain in the relegation zone with just three points from their opening six matches.
It is just the fourth time the club have failed to win each of their opening six games of a league season, after 2008-09, 1955-56 and 1912-13.
Spurs have often looked lively in attack this season, but they have lacked conviction in front of goal and only 19th-placed Coventry have scored fewer goals than Tottenham’s three.
However, Tottenham fans can take belief from their overall performance at Old Trafford as they ran United ragged in the opening half with fluid, high-tempo football.
“Today has been the game where for the first time this season we showed we are a team,” De Zerbi said.
“We played for the team-mates, we played together, we stayed inside of the game in every situation and we attacked as a team and defended as a team.”
The Italian manager added on Sky Sports: “I’m very happy because I’ve seen the right spirit, the right character and I want to start from this character, this reaction, this behaviour.”
Tottenham spent more than £250m on new talent over the summer – adding 10 players to their squad.
But their poor start has prompted the club to organise a warm-weather training camp in Spain, with the team expected to travel to Marbella on Sunday in the hope it will provide a chance for their new-look squad to bond.
“Now the target is to build the team,” De Zerbi said.
“We are a great group of players but we are not a team yet and to be a team is to play for the team-mates, suffer together, attack together.”
Spurs face newly-promoted Coventry on Monday, 19 October before making the short trip to Chelsea the following Saturday.
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