AC Milan v Tottenham player ratings: Leao 8, Diaz 7; Dier 6, Kane 5

Italians will take a 1-0 lead to London in the Champions League last 16 tie

AC MILAN RATINGS: Ciprian Tatarusanu - 6. Three shots on target from Tottenham might have made it look like Tatarusanu had a slightly busy night, but in reality he had very little to do. His backline kept him protected all night. AP

Pierre Kalulu - 7. Stuck to his task well. Provided adequate cover for Saelemaekers the few times he bombed forward. Also made a number of last-ditch clearances. Reuters

Simon Kjear - 7. Stayed close to Kane throughout the game and managed to keep him quiet. Came out on top in most of his aerial duels. AP

Malik Thiaw - 8. Hardly put a foot wrong in the first half as he repeatedly provided cover for Hernandez. Should have scored his first Champions League goal when he headed Leao’s cross wide from close range in the second half. Reuters

Alexis Saelemaekers - 7. Helped keep Son quiet on the right wing. The highlight of his night was a last-ditch sliding clearance to deny Son a clear run at goal in the 43rd minute. EPA

Rade Krunic - 7. Helped to occupy Kane whenever he dropped deep to receive the ball. Kept things simple in midfield and covered well for Tonali whenever he joined the attack. AFP

Theo Hernandez - 8. Milan skipper hardly put a foot wrong. He won the header that kick-started the attack for Milan’s winning goal. Enjoyed himself on the left wing both defensively and offensively. EPA

Sandro Tonali - 8. Crucial in helping AC Milan play out from the back. Worked hard in the middle of the pitch and got forward well. Easily one of the Rossoneri’s best players on the night. Reuters

Rafael Leao - 8. Had an impressive game when they could have won by three goals or more. Constantly got the beating of Emerson and combined well with Hernandez on the right wing. His touch let him down in the 89th minute when he was put through on goal by Giroud. EPA

Brahim Diaz - 7. Followed his first shot by heading the ball home to give AC Milan a seventh-minute lead. Found very little joy against Perisic but tucked in well to help win the midfield battle. Reuters

Olivier Giroud - 7. Found himself on the periphery of attacking action in the first half but was crucial in helping to defend aerial balls. Became more involved in the second half, and won more headers in attack to kickstart counterattacks for his side. Reuters

SUBS: Junior Messias (Salaemarkers 77') - N/A. Looked very lively. Almost got the Rossoneri’s second goal with a close-range header a few minutes after coming on. Getty

Charles De Ketelaere (Diaz 77') - N/A. Came on and worked hard to help maintain balance in the middle of the field. AFP

Tommaso Pobega (Tonali 86') - N/A. Had too little time to make an impact. AP

Ante Rebic (Leao 92') - N/A. Brought on to help run down the time. AFP

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Fraser Forster - 6. Couldn’t have done better for Milan’s opener as he made two impressive saves before succumbing to Brahim’s header. Lucky not to concede a second goal as the Rossoneri missed several chances. Has to do better with coming out to claim crosses. PA

Cristian Romero - 5. Struggled throughout. Got beaten in the air by Hernandez on the way to Milan’s opener. Received what has now become a customary yellow card early in the second half for a dangerous tackle on Tonali and never looked assured on the ball. Reuters

Eric Dier - 6. One of the few Spurs players that can leave the San Siro with his head held high. Made several last-ditch tackles to help out his fellow centre backs. He should have been more aggressive in closing down Hernandez. AP

Clement Lenglet - 6. Stepped out of the defence a couple of times to help the attack. Almost created an opening goal when he cleverly beat two defenders in the 65th minute. AFP

Emerson Royal - 5. The weakest link in Spurs’ defence. Repeatedly got bamboozled by Leao’s trickery and failed to provide adequate cover for Romero on the right side of Tottenham’s back three. Faired a little better in attack. Reuters

Ivan Perisic - 6. Didn’t get forward but was diligent with his defensive duties. Kept Diaz quiet on the right wing and forced him to drop into midfield. PA

Pape Matar Sarr - 6. Worked hard all night but couldn't help Spurs win the midfield battle. Became more involved in attack in the second half as he had a couple of pops at goal. Reuters

Oliver Skipp - 6. Like Sarr, he also worked hard but lacked that bit of quality to unsettle Milan’s more established midfield. Rustiness probably played a part in his below-par showing. PA

Dejan Kulusevski - 5. Another quiet evening for Kulusevki on the right side of attack. Thiaw and Hernandez doubled up to neutralise and frustrate him. Got hooked off in the second half for Richarlison. EPA

Son Heung-min - 5. Constantly dropped deep to assist Spurs’ inexperienced midfield duo. Found little joy on the right wing and had few chances to make a difference in front of goal. PA

Harry Kane - 5. Just like at the weekend against Leicester City, Kane failed to get any kind of service in attack. Got more involved in the second half but was still nowhere near his marauding best. AFP

SUBS: Richarlison (Kulusevski 70') - N/A. Came on to add extra bite to Spurs’ attack. Had a shot blocked in the 74th minute. Worked had but had minimal effect on the game. PA

Arnaut Danjuma (Son 81') - N/A. Had very little impact on the game. Getty

Ben Davies (Lenglet 81') - N/A. Came on and helped Spurs avoid conceding a second goal late on. AFP

AC Milan took a step towards their first Champions League quarter-final appearance for 11 years as Brahim Diaz's goal gave the Italians a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their last-16 first leg at the San Siro on Tuesday.

The Spaniard headed in a rebound in the seventh minute after a superb double save by Tottenham's second-choice keeper Fraser Forster and the seven-time winners kept the Londoners at bay.

Spurs, weakened by injuries and suspensions, responded positively in the first half to dominate possession but were unable to seriously worry the hosts.

Milan should then have increased their advantage after the break with substitute Charles De Ketelaere and defender Malick Thiaw both wasting glorious headed chances.

Tottenham sent on Brazil forward Richarlison for the last 20 minutes and, while they were unable to avoid a first-ever defeat by Milan, they will head home still hopeful of turning the tie around and reaching the last eight.

Olakunle Afolabi has provided the player ratings from the San Siro in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.