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Milan, seeking to reach the last eight for
the first time since winning their seventh title in 2007, failed to do
that for the fourth successive season, despite creating the better
chances on Wednesday.

Spurs, who
won 1-0 at the San Siro, could not press home their advantage but the
Premier League gave a resolute defensive performance to reach the last
eight of Europe’s premier competition for the first time since they
reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1962.

“A
great night for the players… a great night for the fans. It’s a great
achievement for this club, to be in the last eight of the Champions
League,” Spurs manager Harry Redknapp told ITV.

“It was hard work out there tonight. They were a good side but we worked our socks off and stayed with them.

“We
got outnumbered in the middle of the park, (Milan midfielder) Seedorf
played in that spare role, they passed it well in midfield and made it
difficult for us to get near them.”

Spurs
are the first English team through to the last eight this season
following Arsenal’s defeat by Barcelona on Tuesday. Chelsea and
Manchester United are still in contention for a quarter-final place.

Milan dominated the first half with Spurs penned in their own half for long periods and thankful to goalkeeper Heurelho

Gomes and centre back William Gallas that they were not trailing at the interval.

Gomes,
despite one or two typically erratic pieces of keeping, stretched to
save a goalbound shot from Zlatan Ibrahimovic after 15 minutes and also
did well to save from Pato just past the half hour.

But
he was lucky that Gallas was on hand to save his embarrassment after 26
minutes when he was rounded by Pato whose cross found Robinho.

The
Brazilian did not shoot cleanly, his effort looping off defender Benoit
Assou-Ekotto’s back and was seemingly goalbound until Gallas hooked it
clear from under the bar.

Spurs
tactic of high balls played up to the tall Peter Crouch did not bring
any tangible rewards even though the Milan defence struggled at times
to cope with them and the London side’s best chances fell to Rafael Van
der Vaart.

He poked a half-chance wide after only two minutes and sent a free kick just over Christian Abbati’s bar.

Milan,
needing just one goal to take the tie into extra time, almost achieved
that in stoppage time when Robinho sent a shot fizzing just over
Gomes’s bar.</