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An extremely frustrated Rodrigo Bentancur struggled to hide his emotions as he was substituted during Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat by Man City on Tuesday.
The Uruguayan was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski just minutes after Erling Haaland gave City the lead on the night, prompting a furious outburst by the midfielder as he took his seat on the bench.
Footage caught the Spurs star lash out moments after being brought off where he kicked his seat three times in a fit of rage while a worried Bryan Gil could only watch it unfold next to him.
As the replays played on Sky Sports’ coverage of the game, the commentators picked up on the emotional response from the former Juventus man.
Rodrigo Bentancur lost his cool after being substituted in the 2-0 defeat by Manchester City
The livid midfielder struggled to contain his emotions as Bryan Gil (left) tried to calm him down
His angry outburst was caught by the cameras, moments after City had taken the lead
‘Bentancur unimpressed one way or another, with the state of the game or the decision to withdraw him,’ said Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury. ‘That is one angry man.’
However, Drury’s co-commentator Jamie Carragher praised Bentancur for his performance, adding: ‘Listen, he’s done well!’
It was a bizarre night of emotions for Tottenham and their supporters, with a defeat allowing Man City to move back to the top of the table above their arch-rivals Arsenal, setting up a final day shoot-out for the Premier League title.
The build-up to the game was dominated by talk of Spurs fans wanting their own side to lose in order to prevent Arsenal from being in the driving seat to win their first Premier League title in two decades.
And the subdued crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium remained to be a talking point for Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, who labelled the club’s foundations as ‘fragile’ in a tetchy post-match assessment of the club’s state of play.
Jamie Carragher claimed Bentancur (left) had played well in the game before his substitution
But the 26-year-old wasn’t best pleased to be replaced shortly before the hour-mark
While Spurs produced a strong display against City, two second-half Erling Haaland goals earned them a precious victory but home fans chanted ‘are you watching Arsenal?’ after the striker’s 51st-minute opener.
The atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was more flat than many other home matches, with the majority of songs targeted at Arsenal, but Postecoglou refused to be drawn on what exactly provoked a tetchy press conference which ended with the Australian admitting ‘adjustments’ are required to take the club to the top.
‘I think the last 48 hours has revealed to me that the foundations are fairly fragile, mate,’ Postecoglou said.
‘That’s just what I think. I just think the last 48 hours have revealed a fair bit to me. That’s alright. It just means I’ve got to go back to the drawing board with some things.’
Pressed on what he meant, Postecoglou responded: ‘Outside, inside, everywhere. It’s been an interesting exercise.
‘It’s just my observations mate. I’m not going to tell you, because it’s for me. I’m the one who’s got to do it.
‘You can make your own assessments of what’s happened. I understand. I probably misread the situation as to what I think is important in your endeavour to become a winning team, but that’s OK. That’s why I’m here.
Ange Postecoglou was left seething after Tottenham were beaten by Manchester City on Tuesday and took aim at his own supporters
The Australian even confronted one Tottenham supporter in the stands during the match
Postecoglou blasted his club for having ‘fairly fragile foundations’ after the game
‘No, it’s got nothing to do with summer plans. The summer plans are there.’
Quizzed on Tottenham supporters chanting ‘are you watching Arsenal?’, Postecoglou insisted: ‘I’m not interested mate. I just don’t care.
‘Maybe I’m out of step, but I just don’t care, I just want to win. I want to be successful at this football club, it’s why I was brought in.
‘So what other people, how they want to feel, and what their priorities are, are of zero interest to me. I know what’s important to build a winning team, that’s what I need to concentrate on.
‘I can’t dictate what people do. They’re allowed to express themselves any way they want. But yeah, when we’ve got late winners in games it’s because the crowd’s helped us.
‘I already know what I want to do, it’s just I’ve got to make some adjustments to how I do it.’
Former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp, working at the game as a TV pundit, questioned the culture at the club.
Some Tottenham fans even recreated City’s famous Poznan celebration after the visitor’s scored their first goal
Erling Haaland scored twice as Man City moved back to the top of the Premier League table
Defeat against City ensured Spurs won’t qualify for a place in next season’s Champions League
Redknapp told Sky Sports: ‘It’s not been easy listening to what’s been going on, and people questioning Spurs maybe winning this game.
‘There was a chance of Champions League football with this club but people were more interested in just stopping Arsenal winning the title.
‘That mentality – and I 100 per cent agree with him (Postecoglou), that’s what he’s alluding to – that’s a culture that’s been created for a long while at this club.
‘I was here. I didn’t ever feel it was a winning mentality.’
