After winning 1-0 back on February 14, AC Milan travelled to London for the return leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash against Tottenham in an attempt to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012.
The Rossoneri had managed four wins in a row and four consecutive clean sheets prior to the loss against Fiorentina on Saturday, meaning Stefano Pioli had stabilised the situation after a catastrophic January.
The defeat against La Viola at the weekend didn’t seem to have affected Milan, who looked solid from the start and did not allow Spurs to create any dangerous chances until the final few minutes. The majority of the game was in fact fairly boring from a neutral point of view, but that meant Milan did their job well.
The most interesting moment came around the 94th minute when Maignan made a brilliant save on Harry Kane’s header which launched a counter-attack for Milan that ended with Origi hitting the crossbar.
It was a frantic end to a dull game that saw Milan reach the quarter-finals of the top European club competition for the first time in 11 years. Here are five things we learned…
1. Magic by (nick)name, magic by nature
Mike Maignan had enjoyed a fairly quiet night up until the crucial moment at the end of the game in the six added minutes, but he commanded the back line throughout the whole match and was keen to involve himself when his team were trying to play out from the back.
It is great to see Magic Mike looking confident straight away, shouting and giving tips to the defenders in front of him which was perhaps lacking when he wasn’t available. A truly commanding performance, which ended with a brilliant save on Kane’s header that sealed the qualification for his team.
2. Il Muro
The reason why Maignan had a fairly quiet night is also because of the brilliant work done by the trio in front of him, namely Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw.
Thiaw forgot all about the rather difficult display against Fiorentina and was really calm against Spurs, helping his team in particular with aerial duels and set pieces as he won pretty much everything that came his way, neutralising Kane just enough on the ground too.
Tomori also responded well after he gave away a silly penalty against La Viola and his presence as the left-sided centre-back allowed Theo Hernandez to think more about the attacking phase, which directly led to Cristian Romero’s red card that put a big dent in Spurs’ hopes.
Kalulu also played at a very high level as he he kept an out-of-form Heung-min Son quiet with ease. He also carried the ball forward on multiple occasions and seemed comfortable doing so.
All in all it was a really commanding performance by the trio who have now managed five clean sheets out of the last six games.
3. Mixed feelings
Theo Hernandez had a great game and was one of the best on the pitch, helping a lot in the attacking phase and drawing a foul from Romero that got him a red card as mentioned. He was involved in a most of the better counters Milan produced too, as he ran the length of the field and squared to Origi who hit the post.
Oddly enough, Rafael Leao wasn’t on the same level as he seemed to struggle to find his spot on the pitch. In fairness he did have some quality moments and he was an issue for Spurs as they had to resolve to fouls to stop him on multiple occasions. The times he did escape, however, he should’ve made more out of the situation and he failed to do so.
On the right, Junior Messias was the clear flop of the game as he offered little to nothing going forward and missed a big chance in front of goal. His colleague up top, Oliver Giroud, also struggled to get a foothold in the game as his hold-up play let him down, though he did put a real shift in pressing from the front.
Lastly, Brahim Diaz got to start and he had a wonderful game. The Spaniard was probably the best player on the pitch for most of the game as he was quick to beat his man and had no troubles escaping the press. He faded towards the end of the game, but it was an impressive performance, nonetheless.
4. Control required
Rade Krunic and Sandro Tonali did a great job as they covered a lot of space and helped a great deal in Maignan’s clean sheet, but they could’ve done a bit more with the ball.
When Ismael Bennacer came onto the pitch in the second half it was so obvious the difference he makes as he managed to make a couple successful dribbles and sharpen up the play despite playing just over 10 minutes.
The Algerian is pivotal when Milan want to calm the game down and hold the ball because he possesses multiple ways to progress the ball with his composure and low centre of gravity, something Tonali and Krunic sometimes lack.
5. Tactics get a tick
Stefano Pioli got the right players and tactics on the night and he also deserves praise for the achievement of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Since changing system, his team have now managed five clean sheets in the last six games and seem to be back on track from a cohesion and compactness point of view, despite the Fiorentina blip.
Reaching the last eight will also be a big moral boost and Milan need to capitalise on that domestically by gaining points and making sure the Champions League is a competition they will also enjoy being in next season.
