Tottenham boss Antonio Conte remains bullish about his side’s prospects of reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals despite Tuesday’s 1-0 loss at AC Milan.
Brahim Diaz netted the game’s only goal at the San Siro after seven minutes as the Rossoneri triumphed in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
Possession was evenly split while Spurs generated more goal attempts (12-9) but less on goal (4-3) in a display where midfielders Oliver Skipp and Pape Sarr impressed.
Spurs will host Milan at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the reverse fixture in three weeks’ time.
“As for the performance I think it was a battle from the start until the end,” Conte said. “I think we played against a team with a high intensity and a lot of pressure and it was very difficult to play for us and difficult to play for them.
“It was a pity to concede a goal after five minutes because I felt in this specific situation we could have done much better.
“Then we tried. When you play against Milan you have to pay attention when you attack to prevent the counter-attack because they have players like Leao and Theo Hernandez and also a point of reference like Giroud. If they have space they can kill you.
“We are now talking about the first game for the qualification and there are two games. I hope, I’m sure, that in the second game in our stadium I know that our fans will create an important atmosphere to push us to overcome the Milan obstacle.”
Conte reserved special praise for Skipp and Sarr who ran the show in the middle of the park.
“About the two midfielders, I think that I’m really happy about the performance from Skippy and Pape Sarr,” Conte said.
“Honestly to play in this way in the Champions League and to play in the San Siro in this atmosphere, I think that normally it’s tough for important players.
“They played a really good game and I’m really happy. This type of performance make me more relaxed for the future because we have to consider that we could finish the season with only three midfielders, Pape Sarr, Skippy and Pierre Hojbjerg.
“To have this type of performance makes me more relaxed because I know that I can count on these two players 100 per cent and I’m really happy for them.”
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