Tottenham Hotspur interim manager Cristian Stellini has refused to explain the reason behind his altercation with Roberto De Zerbi in Saturday's Premier League victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.
Before the first ball was kicked at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Stellini and De Zerbi clashed when shaking hands on the touchline, with the Brighton boss pointing his finger into his counterpart's face before they sat down in the dugouts.
A fiery contest ensued between both sets of players, and tensions spilled over onto the benches in the second half, leading to red cards for both Stellini and De Zerbi for failing to control their technical areas.
The two managers continued their war of words after being sent off, and De Zerbi accused Stellini of a lack of respect after the game, which Tottenham won 2-1.
Speaking to football.london in his post-game press conference, Stellini refuted De Zerbi's claim that he lacked respect for his opposite number and remained tight-lipped on their set-to.
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"I can say only that what happened on the pitch, stay onto the pitch. Sometimes it seems something bad but is not. I want to let everyone understand that this is my second game like head coach for Tottenham and I want to give respect to all the managers in Premier League," De Zerbi said.
"I consider the red card because also if I try to stay calm and to be focused on the game, I have to manage the bench and to keep all of them calm. But in that moment for me I was focused on the players, I wanted to speak to the players and I lose my focus on the bench. This is the rule. I have to respect the rule but I think also if you look at what happened, I was polite and calm.
"There is tension but tension came from the type of game we were playing. It was an important game and the result is very important to both teams so that can create a bit of tension. That is normal. I like to be calm. It's normal in this type of game."
Amid the scenes of unrest on the sidelines, Tottenham drew first blood early doors through a stunning Son Heung-min strike - his 100th in the Premier League, making him the first Asian player to hit that landmark - but the Seagulls otherwise dominated proceedings.
Lewis Dunk deservedly levelled for De Zerbi's men before the break, but Harry Kane's deflected effort in the final 10 minutes propelled Tottenham to a highly controversial win, as Brighton were left aggrieved at a number of officiating decisions.
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Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Welbeck both had goals ruled out for handball, and the former was clearly stamped on the foot by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg inside the box during the second half, but no penalty was given.
"Many times we had to accept what VAR said. If we go back we have maybe four times we can discuss what VAR did. We didn't discuss in the past, we don't want to discuss now," Stellini said on the officials' criticised calls.
"What VAR and the referee does is like everything, staying on the pitch and finished now. No argument and we have to play football."
Tottenham's triumph keeps the Lilywhites fifth in the Premier League table, three points adrift of both Newcastle United and Manchester United having played a game more than both clubs.
Next up for the Lilywhites is the visit of relegation-threatened Bournemouth to North London in seven days' time.
Ben Knapton
