Roberto De Zerbi ensured that his name and Tottenham will still remain in the headlines after a chaotic afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. One of a number of head coaches mentioned with the Spurs hot seat in wake of Antonio Conte's departure last month, plenty of Tottenham fans were very keen on seeing what the Italian's entertaining Brighton & Hove Albion team would serve up in N17.
Making waves in the Premier League this campaign and in with a shout of a shock Champions League place, the Seagulls will undoubtedly feel that they should have returned to the south coast with points in the bag after an impressive display. Always set to be an eye-catching game with players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma instrumental to their strong form this season, not many would have predicted fireworks before the game had even got underway.
That is exactly what happened as Cristian Stellini walked towards his counterpart De Zerbi seconds after appearing from the tunnel. Rather than the usual friendly handshake, Stellini was greeted by a number of angry words as the 43-year-old got plenty of his chest and angrily pointed in his direction in a rather explosive encounter.
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Seemingly upset with something Stellini had previously said or done, the antics continued throughout the game as De Zerbi and his coaching staff taunted the Spurs bench a number of times, notably after Lewis Dunk had restored parity not long before half-time. Ryan Mason wasn't having any of it and made sure he had his say when the Brighton staff kept chipping away at the Tottenham bench.
Things eventually came to a head just prior to the hour mark as both benches came together and a melee ensued when Tottenham were attacking and looking to make things happen in the Brighton half. Following plenty of pushing and shoving from both benches, Stellini, who kept himself out of the ruckus and instead was focused on the play, was given his marching orders along with De Zerbi.
On a day when De Zerbi would have wanted Brighton's football to do all the talking, unfortunately for him his incident with Stellini meant that the main focus was very much on what happened at the side of the pitch. De Zerbi is no stranger to seeing red, with his dismissal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium his third since arriving at Brighton midway through September.
A day seen by many as a potential audition for the Tottenham head coach vacancy, his antics on the touchline won't have gone down well with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. In terms of what Brighton offered on the pitch, it is quite easy to see why the ex-Sassuolo head coach is rated so highly in the game and has been touted as a potential Tottenham boss.
The Seagulls dominated possession at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and made 550 passes compared to Tottenham's 296, as well as having 17 shots on goal with Tottenham managing nine. However, it is about taking chances when they come your way, with Spurs scoring two of their three shots on target.
Brighton will feel incredibly unlucky having seen goals from Mitoma and Danny Welbeck disallowed by VAR for handball. Mitoma's strike was easy on the eye as Mac Allister picked out the Japanese player's run and his teammate took the ball down before volleying it home in style.
The football on offer from Brighton was extremely impressive and many Tottenham fans watching on will be hoping that their future head coach can get Harry Kane and Co. playing in the same manner, especially after the defensive football that they have had to endure this season. Who exactly is at the helm next season remains to be seen with a number of managers linked with the top job and Levy facing a crucial decision as he looks to get Tottenham back on track.
As good as the football was from Brighton on Saturday afternoon, what the Italian did on the side of the pitch may have given Levy his answer when it comes to De Zerbi.
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