Tottenham crashed out of the Champions League round of 16 with a dreadful performance that left Antonio Conte’s immediate future further in doubt.
Having exited the FA Cup 10 days ago, this represented Spurs’ last chance at silverware, and a home game at only 1-0 down against an out-of-form AC Milan side seemed a good opportunity.
But the first half passed largely without incident, with Spurs failing to find even a shot on target.
Leaving the pitch to a smattering of boos, there was a sense of frustration around north London, with their side not having created anything like enough to turn their 1-0 deficit around.
Tottenham improved somewhat in the second half, but continued to struggle to create anything of note in front of an increasingly restless crowd.
Things went from bad to worse for the Lilywhites with 20 minutes to go, when Cristian Romero was sent off for a second yellow card offence, which prompted the goal-seeking Spurs to bizarrely send on a centre-back for an attacker.
It leaves Spurs another season trophyless, and Antonio Conte’s future even more uncertain. Milan, meanwhile, march on.
📰 Table Of Contents
Player ratings
Tottenham Hotspur FC
- GK: Fraser Forster (6) – Hardly had a touch of the ball but was solid when called upon.
- RWB: Emerson Royal (5) – Began brightly but didn’t really offer anything going forwards.
- CB: Cristian Romero (2) – Picked up a yellow card early and was always likely, with his form, to be sent off. Predictably was and left his side in a massive hole.
- CB: Clement Lenglet (5) – Booked for a cynical challenge but was largely untroubled besides that.
- CB: Ben Davies (4) – Offers very little in terms of progressive passing, but was defensively solid.
- LWB: Ivan Perisic (4) – A shadow of the player Spurs thought they had signed from Inter Milan, and turned in another poor performance. Taken off just after half time.
- CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (5) – Looks lost without Rodrigo Bentancur, seemingly asked to do too much on his own. Struggled to get the better of the midfield and progress the ball.
- CM: Oliver Skipp (5) – Got through a lot of work in midfield and wasn’t afraid to stick his foot in,
- RW: Dejan Kulusevski (4) – Dropped off a cliff since the World Cup and had another poor outing for the Lilywhites, and was taken off with 10 minutes to go despite his side needing a goal.
- ST: Harry Kane (6) – A poor game by his own high standards but once again asked to shoulder the entire attacking burden and
- LW: Heung-Min Son (4) – His fall from grace continues to baffle, as the South Korean was against anonymous on the left hand side.
Substitutes
- Pedro Porro (6) – Tottenham looked a bit more adventurous, but he lacked any real quality in the final third.
- Richarlison (3) – Offered nothing upon coming on.
- Davinson Sanchez (4) – Didn’t really put a foot wrong when he came on but an odd change.
AC Milan
- GK: Mike Maignan (7) – Didn’t have much to do but made one excellent save from Kane in stoppage time to keep his side heading through.
- RWB: Junior Messais (7) – Was excellent on the right hand side for Milan, and showed some tidy footwork time and time again during the first half before picking up an injury.
- CB: Malick Thiaw (7) – Milan appear to have found another gem, with the youngster barely putting a foot wrong across the 90 minutes.
- CB: Pierre Kalulu (7) – Solid and understated in the heart of defence.
- CB: Fikayo Tomori (7) – Largely untroubled but continued to demonstrate just why he is so highly rated at San Siro with a solid outing.
- LWB: Theo Hernandez (8) – Milan’s main point of attack and largely excellent in defence.
- CM: Rade Krunic (7) – There were question marks over him coming into the game but he had a solid outing in midfield, though he was hardly tested.
- CM: Sandro Tonali (7) – Like Krunic, was hardly tested and coasted through much of the game.
- RW: Brahim Diaz (7) – Tidy on the ball and worked hard off it to help his side.
- ST: Olivier Giroud (6) – Tried one spectacular effort that didn’t come off, but held up the ball well when asked.
- LW: Rafael Leao (5) – Clearly carries a threat but was off the boil against the Lilywhites.
Substitutes
- Ismael Bennacer (7) – Came on to add some invaluable bite to the Milan midfield late on.
- Divock Origi (6) – Ran the channels well and hit the post late on.
- Alexis Saelemakers (6) – Solid and diligent when he came on.
- Ante Rebic (N/A) – Came on for the final few minutes.
Expert analysis
HT: Spurs (0.09) 0-0 (0.10) AC Milan
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) March 8, 2023
It’s difficult to tell at this point whether Spurs realise they are 1-0 down and could be heading out of the Champions League or that they even know they’re playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That was flat as anything.
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) March 8, 2023
HT 0-0. Some boos from the south stand. It has not been great. If someone told you this actually the Europa League, you’d say ‘ah yes of course, classic Europa!’
— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) March 8, 2023
Presumably Antonio Conte is currently reminding the Tottenham players that they are actually behind in this last 16 Champions League tie.
— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) March 8, 2023
Tottenham have just over 20 minutes to stay alive in the Champions League. Let’s take a look at their shot map… pic.twitter.com/W83zUaItbw
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) March 8, 2023
Fan reaction
There’s actually still people out there that want to see this guy sign a new contract and subject us to another three years of this.
— Tottenham Independent Transfer Stories (@bankruptspurs) March 8, 2023
All jokes aside, watching Tottenham Hotspur at the moment is a truly horrific experience.
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) March 8, 2023
I’m so desperate to support the team but this has to be some of the most boring, predictable football I’ve ever seen. It’s draining the life out of me. To make matter worse, Milan there for the taking. #COYS
— Daily Hotspur (@Daily_Hotspur) March 8, 2023
That Tottenham first half was painful to watch as a neutral, their own fans must have been tearing their hair out.
It’s mad that a side with a front three of Kane, Son and Kulusevski can be so lacking in attacking threat when they know they have to win on the night.
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) March 8, 2023
Romero booked and misses the next game if Spurs go through. Lenglet booked and misses the next game if they go through. Conte also booked. #THFC
— Jonathan Veal (@jonathandveal83) March 8, 2023
Tottenham might yet win this, they’re only a goal down, but it feels *very* Antonio Conte in Europe that they’ve taken 150+ minutes of this tie to realise they need to score a goal at some point.
— Nicky Bandini (@NickyBandini) March 8, 2023
Romero came back from Qatar angry
Villa – 🟨
Palace –
Arsenal – 🟨
Man City – 🟨
Fulham – 🟨
Man City 🟨🟨 (🟥)
Milan – 🟨
West Ham –
Chelsea –
Wolves –
Milan – 🟨🟨 (🟥)— Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) March 8, 2023
Pochettino’s name being sung in the south stand…
— Daily Hotspur (@Daily_Hotspur) March 8, 2023
