David Beckham has reportedly "begged" wife Victoria to "scale back on work" which has resulted in a number of arguments.

The high-profile pair were spotted looking downcast during a dinner date at Nobu Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills last week.

According to insiders, "underlying tensions" in the couple's relationship soon surfaced on their night out, reportedly spoiling their planned "date night".

"David has begged her to scale back on work and it's resulted in a lot of rows," a source told British magazine Closer.

"She hates the fact they're fighting over this and was really hoping to enjoy a nice night out with him."

The pair have four children together; sons Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, nine, Cruz, six and nine-month-old daughter Harper. Victoria was allegedly looking forward to the couple's time away alone, but was disappointed when the night fell short of her expectations.

"Usually, they're all over each other when they're out as Victoria is quite affectionate, but every time she reached out for him, he seemed to move away," a source said.

"She feels like he's trying to punish her and she ended up quite upset. She's told friends it was a bit of a disaster."