Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham player ratings vs AC Milan: Cristian Romero stupidly sent off & Harry Kane silenced in what might be his last Champions League match with Spurs

Matt O'Connor-Simpson
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Cristian Romero Harry Kane Antonio Conte Tottenham Milan Champions League
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Cristian Romero saw red as a predictable and uninspiring Tottenham crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of AC Milan.

The biggest cheer heard around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening was when Olivier Giroud attempted an acrobatic volley, but instead landed on his backside. It was that bleak.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with AC Milan, Spurs did not play like a side that needed a goal. On the rare occasions that they did venture close enough to Milan's penalty area to set the pulses racing they invariably ran out of ideas. Completely toothless.

In a game of very few chances, the Rossoneri always looked more likely to score, with Junior Messias pulling an effort just wide in the first half and Brahim Diaz drawing a good save from Fraser Forster when he shot from close range.

Cristian Romero's silly sending off 12 minutes from time all but confirmed Spurs' elimination, though AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was forced to the rescue in the final moments when he kept out a shot from Harry Kane.

Here are GOAL's player ratings from a grim night in north London...

Editors' Picks

  1. Goalkeeper & Defence
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    Goalkeeper & Defence

    Fraser Forster (5/10):

    Genuinely painful watching him trying to play out from the back. Made an important stop to deny Brahim Diaz just after the break and was generally solid when the ball wasn't at his feet.

    Cristian Romero (3/10):

    Completely unnecessary second yellow effectively ended his side's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. No reason to slide through Theo Hernandez there.

    Clement Lenglet (6/10):

    Also booked in the first half. He did fine for the most part.

    Ben Davies (5/10):

    A poor miscontrol before the break killed the first-half atmosphere. Needed to get higher to support his side in possession.

  2. Midfield
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    Midfield

    Emerson Royal (5/10):

    A solid, if unremarkable display. Dealt pretty well with the threat of Theo Hernandez in the first half. Dragged off when Spurs were chasing the game.

    Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (6/10):

    Hustle and bustle, but he ended up dribbling himself into danger far too often. Had one fierce shot in the second half.

    Oliver Skipp (6/10):

    Pretty excellent out of possession, completing a game-high six tackles. Did fire off a few errant passes, however.
    Ivan Perisic (5/10):

    Once again failed to combine effectively with Son. Fine defensively but did not offer enough in attack and was hooked early in the second half.

  4. Attack
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    Attack

    Dejan Kulusevski (4/10):

    Probably Spurs' brightest spark in a terrible first half. Faded badly.

    Harry Kane (4/10):

    Starved of service throughout, but did not make the most of his few half-chances. Not the best way to likely end his Champions League career in north London, with a summer move to Manchester United looking increasingly plausible.

    Son Heung-min (4/10):

    Another really difficult night. Baffling Conte left him on. Why did Spurs even sign Arnaut Danjuma?

  5. Subs & Manager
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    Subs & Manager

    Pedro Porro (5/10):

    Was brave in attempting to propel his side forward. No end product.

    Richarlison (6/10):

    Added some intensity. Should have came on earlier.

    Davinson Sanchez (N/A):

    Only introduced for the final minutes. Tried to flop for a penalty.

    Antonio Conte (3/10):

    Clearly instructed his side to stay in the game before 'turning on the style' in the second half. It did not work. Conte is in a strange position now. Everyone knows he's leaving at the end of the season, but he somehow has to inspire this squad to a fourth-place finish. Perhaps it would be better to part ways now?