Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi accused Cristian Stellini of a lack of respect after watching his side lose 2-1 at Tottenham in a fiery encounter.
Drama occurred before kick-off when De Zerbi was involved in a heated exchange with Spurs’ acting head coach Stellini and could be seen pointing animatedly at his fellow Italian. It was the catalyst for a chaotic clash between the two top-four rivals, with both managers sent off, two Brighton goals disallowed and in the end efforts from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane enough to negate Lewis Dunk’s leveller and earn Spurs a vital three points.
“I am used always to respecting everyone inside of the pitch and outside of the pitch,” De Zerbi explained before he declined to reveal the exact reason for his irritation with Stellini. “I don’t like when people don’t respect me, but there are normal situations in football.
