Source: Daily_Mail
AC Milan 0 Tottenham 1: Peter Crouch is the San Siro hero as Harry Redknapp's battlers triumph
The sky, as Harry Redknapp said, really would appear to be the limit for this remarkable Tottenham team. A side who have now conquered not one Milan superpower this season but two. A team that are supposed to be new to this Champions League football but continue to look like masters of the art.[LNB]There might still be a second leg of this last 16 tie to go, but who would back against Tottenham now? Who would dare think they cannot see off the leaders of the Italian league when they came tothe San Siro and won by a single Peter Crouch goal but deserved to triumph by a far more significantmargin. [LNB]Crouch's 80th-minute goal was superb. Not so much because of what was a relatively simple finishbut because it was classic counter-attacking football. [LNB]A superb ball from Luka Modric released Aaron Lennon and a quite brilliant run from the England winger concluded when he skipped past Mario Yepes before delivering a perfect pass to the feet of Crouch.[LNB] Tall order: Peter Crouch beats keeper Marco Amelia in the 80th minute after a magical counter-attacking burst from Aaron Lennon[LNB] [LNB]But Harry Redknapp will feelaggrieved at the fact that his side also should have had a penalty aswell as the advantage of an extra man for the last half an hour. [LNB]Milan were pretty ordinary and ifRedknapp can call on Gareth Bale come the second leg, a victory everybit as memorable as the demolition of Inter Milan would appear possible.[LNB]In the absence of so many key players, the understudies shone for Redknapp.[LNB]Wilson Palacios and Sandro were excellent in central midfield; Benoit Assou-Ekotto was outstanding at full-back.[LNB]Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes alsoproduced when it mattered most, palming a header from Mario Yepes awayshortly after the break when it seemed the centre half had scored. Itwas a magnificent save, as was the one that followed on the hour todeny Yepes again.[LNB]Tottenham started brilliantly. There was an early chance for Lennon; a super ball from Corluka thatalmost created an opportunity for Crouch. [LNB]But after little more than a minuteTottenham probably should have had something even more valuable thanthat: a penalty for what looked like a deliberate use of the arm byAlessandro Nesta to block a cross from Steven Pienaar. [LNB] Heated exchange: Gennaro Gattuso and Joe Jordan square up[LNB] It was certainly missed by Spurs boss Redknapp and, rather more crucially, French referee StephaneLannoy and his additional assistant. Tottenham were creating real problems from wide areas, withLuca Antonini experiencing great difficulty trying to contain the excellent Lennon.[LNB]When the Englishman delivered yetanother teasing ball from the right, it took a courageous interceptionby Christian Abbiati to deny Crouch. [LNB]The Milan goalkeeper then did wellto hold a deflected effort from Van der Vaart, but that earlierchallenge on Crouch appeared to have taken its toll. [LNB] No goal: Zlatan Ibrahimovic saw his spectacular injury-time effort ruled out for offside[LNB] [LNB]He rubbed his head at the time and a few minutes later he was off on a stretcher with what lookedlike concussion. [LNB]With the sight of Marco Ameliajoining the game as Abbiati's replacement came further encouragementfor the visitors. The conditions were treacherously wet never goodfor a replacement keeper. [LNB]It took Milan the best part of 20 minutes to trouble Tottenham and when they did Heurelho Gomeswas perfectly positioned to cut out the threat posed by Ibrahimovic. [LNB]Lannoy was right to ignore home claims for a penalty when Sandro appeared to trip the Swedishstriker. Even it was a dangerous challenge, it was most certainly outside the box.[LNB] All action hero: Heurelho Gomes was at his brilliant best to deny Mario Yepes on two occasions[LNB]Redknapp opted for Pienaar because he offered more defensive qualities than Niko Kranjcar butthere were times when the South African was a touch too cautious in attack.[LNB]He needed to follow Lennon's leadand really test Ignazio Abate because the Serie A leaders were startingto control this encounter. [LNB]That said, Lennon beat Antoniniagain only to over-hit his cross and Van der Vaart forced a fine savefrom Amelia, who is here on loan from Genoa. [LNB]The fact that Ibrahimovic andRobinho were making so little impact was a measure of how wellTottenham were defending. William Gallas was having a superb game, aswas captain Michael Dawson. [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] Calm down: Michael Dawson (second left) has words with Mathieu Flamini (fourth right) after the former Arsenal man's two-footed lunge ended Vedran Corluka's (left) evening[LNB]Gallas had said Spurs needed to be 'compact against the clever Italians' and they were.[LNB]Unhappy with Milan's lack ofpenetration, Massimiliano Allegri decided to make a change at the startof the second half. It was the end for Clarence Seedorf the veteranof so many European Cup wins losing his place to Pato. [LNB]Tottenham provided the first threat of the second half, Van der Vaart going desperately close with a delightful chip. [LNB]Milan continued to struggle inpursuit of a decent chance but there was that thumping header fromYepes that Gomes excelled in turning around his right post. [LNB]The turning point should have come,however, when Flamini launched himself at Corluka. That the formerArsenal midfielder received a yellow card would suggest Lannoy saw theoffence. [LNB] Stetchered off: Christian Abbiati's match ended abruptly after an innocuous-looking challenge with Peter Crouch[LNB]How an official who controversially dismissed Kaka at the last World Cup therefore failed to send offFlamini is staggering. It marked the end of the night for Corluka Redknapp had to replace him withJonathan Woodgate and it should have seen the Frenchman disappear as well.[LNB]It sparked further angry scenes, the sight of Gennaro Gattuso shoving Joe Jordan in the chest a measure of the tension. [LNB]More brilliance from Gomes stopped another Yepes header, but in the end Milan can consider themselves the more fortunate. [LNB]They escaped a penalty and a red card, not to mention the away goal Tottenham probably deserved[LNB] [LNB] Spurs won't stand in Redknapp's way when England hunt for new bossCHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIVE: AC Milan v Tottenham - all the action as it happenedAll the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Aaron Lennon, Peter Crouch, Harry Redknapp
