Another season over as Tottenham’s night ended in boos, frustration and a red card.
It is threatening to turn horribly sour for Antonio Conte as the Spurs fans jeered the team off at half-time and full-time, and there was a chorus of disapproval for his substitutions. Cristian Romero was sent off for a second yellow card with just 12 minutes left and his stupidity and lack of discipline summed up a sloppy performance which never looked like turning the tie around.
Tottenham were so flat and you would never know a place in the Champions League quarter-finals was at stake, which perhaps says much about the mood and frustrations among the fed-up supporters. Conte, back on the touchline for the first time in three weeks after recovering from emergency gallbladder surgery, had used his programme notes to ask the Spurs fans to make the “stadium as loud as it’s ever been”.
They did not whip up much of an atmosphere but made their voices heard at half-time when they booed the team off, and it was even louder after the final whistle. They also jeered when Conte replaced winger Dejan Kulusevski for centre-half Davinson Sanchez.
The Spurs boss was trying to shore up his defence after Romero’s red card, but surely he had nothing to lose with the clock ticking down and a European exit looming. Old habits die hard for Conte, who is left with only the salvation of a place in the Premier League top four, but their failure to compete for any trophies might just end up costing Spurs Harry Kane this summer.
Kane came as close as any Tottenham player to scoring as he saw an added-time header brilliantly saved, but the England captain will surely not hang around if he feels he will never win anything with Tottenham. Conte’s own future is also in grave doubt as his contract is up this summer; a parting of the ways looks almost inevitable and maybe not too many fans will be heartbroken.
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The Tottenham boss could salvage the season by finishing in the top four again and maybe that will justify his £15million-a-year contract if he can do that two seasons running. But it does not feel a great fit for the longer term because Tottenham’s fans have always demanded more stylish and attractive football than Conte has delivered.
There was certainly no hint of a glorious, swashbuckling European night for the Spurs fans remember with pride. Instead, rhere were stupid decisions like Romero and Clement Lenglet - both already one game from suspension - getting themselves booked inside 22 minutes.
Milan are the reigning Italian champions but this is hardly a classic team, even if Brahim Diaz forced the first meaningful save from either goalkeeper after 51 minutes, Tottenham’s Fraser Forster making a block from close range. Milan’s England defender Fikayo Tomori was excellent at the back. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did force a decent save but any momentum was soon lost when Romero got his second yellow with a rash, pointless challenge on Theo Hernandez.
Tottenham had a mountain to climb and never looked like doing it. Milan’s defence held firm and visiting keeper Mike Maignan made a superb diving save from Kane’s header in added time. But Milan substitute Divock Origi hit the post at the other end and, ultimately, Tottenham could not complain about the outcome.
