Limp 10-man Tottenham crash out of Champions League after Milan draw

There were boos from the Tottenham support at half-time and sighs when Cristian Romero got himself sent off for a second wild lunge. There were more jeers when Antonio Conte sacrificed Dejan Kulusevki and his fleeting dalliance with a 4-2-4 system. But, overall, there was just frustration.

Spurs were always in this last 16, second-leg tie and yet, at the same time, never really in it at all, the gulf between their telegraphed patterns and Milan’s composure all too pronounced. Conte, who made his eagerly awaited return to the touchline after his health problems, knew that one moment could tip the balance. And yet it never came.

When Pierre-Emile Højbjerg ran from right to left, kept on going and banged a shot towards the top corner, it forced the Milan goalkeeper, Mike Maignan to tip over. It was the 65th minute and it was indisputably the first time that the crowd were roused. It was pretty much the last, too, if you do not count the dismay that followed Romero’s decision to hurl himself into Théo Hernandez on the right flank.

Harry Kane almost pinched something in stoppage-time with a header – of course he did – before Rafael Leão went up to the other end to strike the post. But for Spurs, regrets were in short supply. They were well beaten, their dreams in tatters.

The home crowd wanted a fast start, much like the one that Milan had made in the first leg when Brahim Diaz scored after seven minutes. But this Conte team is not really set up to blow the bloody doors off – especially against opponents that seek control and to maintain their shape.

It was Milan who eased into the tie, Spurs looking rigid and edgy as evidenced by the early yellow card for Cristian Romero, who flew into a reckless tackle on Rafael Leão.

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