Source: Daily_Mail
Martin Samuel: How the mafiosi of Milan have made Spurs fans of us all
Exhilarating football has won Harry Redknapp many new friends already this season, but on Tuesday night the outrageous antics of Mathieu Flamini, Gennaro Gattuso and AC Milan went one further and made Tottenham Hotspur fans of us all.[LNB]The cheer that went up from the top tier of the Curva Nord as Peter Crouch scored a thoroughly deserved winner was echoed in the throat of every neutral, having watched Flamini get away with one of the most scandalous challenges in recent memory and Gattuso behave in a way that, as captain, brought shame on his club, supposedly the strongest in Italy at the moment. [LNB]Didier Drogba was banned for six games, later reduced, for his outburst after Chelsea were knocked out in controversial circumstances by Barcelona, and Gattuso deserves every minute of that, and more. So does Flamini, whose behaviour, if anything, was even worse.[LNB] Fast and furious: Mathieu Flamini (fourth right) escapes with a yellow card despite seriously injuring Vedran Corluka[LNB]Gattuso, who is already banned from the second leg after picking up a yellow card, was out of control on the touchline, confronting Tottenham coach Joe Jordan and substitute Sebastien Bassong, but Flamini was out of control on the pitch, which is considerably more dangerous. [LNB]Jordan can look after himself - 'I know who I'd have, Joe all night long,' said Redknapp when asked about the confrontation - but Vedran Corluka, the Croatia full back, was given no chance. [LNB]Flamini was late, high, two-footed, reckless, dangerous, injury-inducing: he could barely have ticked more boxes for violent extremity had he smuggled in a weapon concealed in his socks. [LNB]Corluka played no further part in the match after the hit and blood could be seen leaking from an ice-clad area around his stricken foot. He was lucky not to have suffered a worse injury, a break or ankle-ligament damage. An X-ray will reveal the full extent on Wednesday.[LNB]Maybe Flamini's behaviour will have won him back a few addled supporters in the red quarter of north London, where any blow against Tottenham is welcomed by followers of his former club, Arsenal, but questions should be asked about referee Stephane Lannoy, who saw the incident but considered it worthy of nothing more than a yellow card.[LNB]If Flamini was a disgrace, so was Lannoy. When a referee cannot spot a challenge as bad as this, it is time to give the game up. [LNB] Low point: French official Stephane Lannoy comes head-to-head with Gennaro Gattuso[LNB]Little credit should go to Michel Platini's squadron of extra officials, either. What is the point in these additional sets of eyes if the mind behind them lacks the basic courage to tell the referee a mistake has been made and a terrible injustice committed?[LNB]UEFA should without doubt move against Flamini this week, and quietly drop fellow Frenchman Lannoy, too. This is the man who sent off Kaka for standing still at the World Cup, and who missed two handballs on the way to a Brazilian goal in the same match against the Ivory Coast. [LNB]Sadly, incompetence has never been a hindrance to a career path within UEFA, soLannoy sails on. Corluka was merely the collateral damage of his undeserved progress.[LNB]Flamini did serve one purpose, though, in pitching those that love football squarely behind Tottenham when the tie reconvenes next month. This victory may not have been as aesthetically pleasing as previous meetings with Milanese opposition this season, but it was a gutsy, determined display against the odds, a fabulous win considering AC Milan's perch atop Serie A and if this level of performance is maintained at White Hart Lane, progress will be fully deserved. [LNB] No holds barred: A tussle between Wilson Palacios (right) and Clarence Seedorf typified a physical game[LNB]Redknapp ticked off the locals by claiming the Premier League is a superior competiton to Serie A after the game, but on this evidence there is little room for debate. [LNB]Milan may have under-performed but those who took umbrage at Redknapp's comments are trading on Milan's reputation, not the evidence of this 90 minutes. If Milan are the top team in Italy this season it must be an ordinary league. There was little of the beauty of Spain here and scant potential to match fire with fire, demonstrated by Inter Milan against Chelsea and Barcelona last season.[LNB]Milan grew stronger as the game wore on, but the gulf in class that would once have been witnessed between a team at the pinnacle of Serie A and one lying fourth in the Premier League was simply not there. [LNB]There were odd flourishes from the home side, particularly late on, but given it was AC Milan in the San Siro and chasing a Champions League victory, so there should be. [LNB] Heroes: Michael Dawson (left) and Peter Crouch savour victory at the San Siro [LNB]Milan had slightly more of the possession and goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was called upon, but there is no reason for Tottenham to feel intimidated going into the second leg, particularly with key talents such as Gareth Bale hopeful of returning.[LNB]Last night, however, belonged to theunsung heroes, the less than stellar names who rose to the challenge ofproving this is no one-man team, built around Bale, among the mostimproved players in Europe this season. [LNB]The exceptionally hard-working centralmidfield of Sandro and Wilson Palacios, the outstanding Michael Dawsonat centre back, the brave and selfless Crouch leading the line, all did everything that was asked of them, probably more. [LNB]P.S. Poor Zlatan Ibrahimovic has never won against an English side - in 12 attempts[LNB]Most importantly, they refused to be intimidated by the name and status of their opponents.[LNB]There are some who still believe Redknapp gets by on an eye for a good deal, a good line in banter and the support of journalists hungry for a headline; yet with every passing month of his tenure at Tottenham this is revealed to be untrue.[LNB]Redknapp destroyed Inter at White Hart Lane in the group stage and here, with limited resources, he took the game to Milan, and then away from them with a plan that he knew would pose the Italians an unfamiliar problem. [LNB]The direct approach has its limitations, but deployed as a shock tactic it can be effective and, with Crouch as spearhead, Redknapp played to his strengths. Milan were not happy and it showed. They lost their temper, they lost control and revealed the softest of centres by their ill-tempered reaction to defeat.[LNB]It would be a travesty if Milan went through from here, although the good news for Tottenham glory boys and neutrals alike is that they probably won't. [LNB] San heroes! Harry Redknapp lauds his side after San Siro win but calls for UEFA to ban bad boys Flamini and GattusoAC Milan 0 Tottenham 1: Peter Crouch is the San Siro hero as Harry Redknapp's battlers win warPICTURE SPECIAL: Mad dog Gattuso takes on Jaws Jordan and bites off more than he can chewGraham Poll: Gattuso is a pest and should be banned from White Hart Lane CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIVE: AC Milan 0 Tottenham 1 - the action from the San Siro as it happenedSix of the best: How Spurs' reign in the San Siro ranks alongside other memorable nights...All the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Harry Redknapp, Sebastien Bassong, Wilson Palacios, Peter Crouch, Didier Drogba, Gareth Bale Places: Chelsea, Barcelona, London, Milan, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Europe
