Tottenham must mount a Champions League comeback after Brahim Diaz led AC Milan to a narrow victory in the first leg of their round-of-16 match at the San Siro.

Diaz scored early after Spurs goalie Fraser Forster stopped a shot by Theo Hernandez and then did a great job blocking the scorer’s first shot after the ball went back into play.

The midfield pairing of Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp filled in admirably for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, who were absent due to suspension and injury, respectively, as Antonio Conte’s team appeared relatively comfortable against the seven-time European champions.

Their front three of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, and Dejan Kulusevski, until the latter’s substitution, were restrained by a disciplined home defence, preventing them from gaining much attacking momentum.

Emerson Royal and Sarr’s long-range efforts aside, Conte’s side appeared most dangerous from set-pieces, but neither Kane nor Eric Dier was able to direct headers on goal from two excellent Son crosses.

Spurs were ultimately thankful for the wastefulness of the Italians, as Belgian midfielder Charles de Ketelaere and German defender Malick Thiaw missed excellent opportunities to put the Italian team in command of the match. If either player had scored from close range, the Spurs would have faced an even more difficult recovery operation on Wednesday, March 8 in London.

As it stands, they must attempt to win the match without Dier, who will be suspended due to a second-half booking.

The Spurs are still favourites

Before the encounter in Italy, Milan head coach Stefano Pioli lamented the financial discrepancy between Premier League clubs and Europe’s traditional elite. While there was evidence of that in their 1-0 victory, their inability to put the tie to bed against a weaker Spurs team may be costly when they go to London for the second leg in March.

Spurs are the favourites to progress to the next round despite their setback at San Siro, owing to the strength of their team and Milan’s shortcomings. The Spurs did not put up a bad effort, but they did not create enough opportunities. One may argue that they could have gotten a draw. But, it was all about getting out of San Siro and staying in the game. The Spurs are still in the hunt. 

The Spurs have a lot of weapons on the bench that they can use to change the course of the game. It’s unfathomable that they will be so subdued in the second leg. With Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma coming back into the hold, they will create more scoring chances and should score a couple of goals at home. Spurs will be conscious of the job before them, so they will need to charge out of the gates and get in Milan’s faces. Visit seatsnet.com to get lowest rates on the Spurs tickets and relish the chance to see them make a comeback.

 Sarr and Skipp Stood tall

The fact that Sarr, who is only 20 years old, had more touches (76) and played more passes (59) than any other player on the field, including Milan’s Italian international midfielder Sandro Tonali, highlighted the level of maturity displayed by Sarr’s performance.

The Senegalese international defensive midfielder Sarr was also resolute throughout the match, and Skipp, who was instrumental in the Canaries’ Championship title run two years ago, was not far behind. Despite playing in front of 74,320 spectators in a high-stakes environment, Skipp appeared to be at ease.

Sarr, who joined Spurs from Metz in the summer of 2021 for a transfer fee of 14.5 million pounds but was immediately permitted to return to the French side on loan, also made light of his lack of experience while playing for the club for only the sixth time.

Skipp was really neat and tidy, and he did all the smart things without trying to overdo it, but Sarr caught the eye; he was everywhere, his energy was tremendous, and his absolute conviction and swagger on the ball were evident. He was playing some 40- or 50-yard balls across the pitch, and they were coming off.

Romero’s woe continue

Cristian Romero made his return to the Tottenham defence at the San Siro after being suspended for the team’s 4-1 loss at Leicester City on Saturday. Romero was ejected from the team’s previous Premier League match against Manchester City after a red card. After the team’s defensive problems at the King Power Stadium, he had to get back into the line-up, but the World Cup winner did not have the best night in Milan.

Romero once again struggled against the Frenchman in the middle of the first half after losing an aerial challenge to Theo Hernandez in the seventh minute, which led to Brahim Diaz heading home the opening goal. Thankfully, the left-back breezing past him did not result in anything negative happening, but Romero still had a tough time with the Frenchman.

His night was about to become even worse just after the interval when he drew a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Sandro Tonali. This was something that Cristian Stellini stated they wanted to work on with the player before the Leicester game.

Dier Dilemma

Going into their match against AC Milan in the European competition, two members of the Tottenham team were skating dangerously close to the disciplinary edge. Dier and Clement Lenglet were the two players who were in question after each of them received two yellow cards in the first six games that the Spurs played in the campaign.

After committing a foul on Olivier Giroud in the second half, the England centre-back was shown a yellow card. He was aware that receiving a second yellow card would result in him being suspended for the second leg. As a result of his absence, Antonio Conte will have to choose the backline in advance of the match at the beginning of March.

Dier did have an opportunity to make up for his yellow card late in the game, but he messed up his header from a corner kick taken by Perisic when he was all alone in the box. His expression, which depicted him with his head buried in his hands, told it all.

Conte’s future hanging in balance

Antonio Conte’s contract will expire in June, with Tottenham Hotspur having the option to extend it for another year. Tottenham’s contract discussions with the 53-year-old, have halted. The feeling is that the two parties will “divorce” after this season. It would be premature to talk about the former Inter Milan coach’s future club while Juventus remains in the background.

Faced with the prospect of losing Conte, Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri has surfaced as a target for Tottenham. His current contract with Biancocelesti expires in 2025. The manager is dissatisfied with the present state of affairs at his club, and his dissatisfaction is not going away.

Lazio sits sixth in the standings, two points behind fourth-placed AS Roma. Their decision to prioritize Champions League qualification during the season has irritated Sarri. At Lazio, he feels isolated and abandoned. Because of this, Sarri’s future at the Serie A club after this season is uncertain. Tottenham is one of the teams that have contacted him. The next few months will be very important for the future of the ex-Napoli manager at the Italian club.

Sarri took over for Conte at Chelsea in 2018, and if this claim is correct, he might replace his compatriot at Tottenham in the summer.