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AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri felt his side had deserved to progress after the stalemate at Tottenham ended their Champions League campaign.

A 1-0 victory for Spurs at the San Siro, courtesy of a late counter-attack, proved decisive as Milan were unable to find a way through in the 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane.

“The team put in a fine performance tonight and I think over the two legs we deserved to go through,” Allegri said. “Unfortunately, that mistake in the first leg cost us dearly.

“This evening my Milan did everything it possibly could, showing intensity and technique. We only lacked something in the finishing.

“We created the chances with Robinho and Alexandre Pato, so there was nothing more we could do and I have to compliment these lads. This performance must give us more confidence going back into the Serie A race, as we have been improving for a while now.

“I still cannot be satisfied, as there is a great deal of bitterness at going out, but I am comforted by the way my lads fought.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggled to provide a meaningful threat to the Spurs defence over the two legs but felt he had performed well.

“Over two legs Tottenham had one shot on goal and scored,” he said. “The best team doesn’t always win.

“I am satisfied with my performance and everyone in the team played well. I tried to score, but the ball would not cross the line. It’s a shame we went out of the Champions League, but we still have the Scudetto and Coppa Italia to focus on.”

Mathieu Flamini added: “We were here to earn qualification and it did not arrive, so we are sad, as we gave our all and the goal did not come.

“It’s a shame, but that is football. We spent the entire match in Tottenham’s half, looking for the goal. Everyone saw we played a great game with the right spirit.

“Now we must focus on Serie A and the race for the Scudetto. The Champions League was one of our objectives and we gave it our all, but now we will think about the title.”

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Michael Dawson felt Tottenham had shown a new side to their game after “winning ugly” in their 1-0 aggregate victory over AC Milan in the Champions League last 16.

Spurs had to survive several scares – including William Gallas’ goal-line clearance from Robinho in the first half – as Milan had the bulk of the possession in the second leg at White Hart Lane.

However, having won the first leg 1-0, the goalless draw at home proved sufficient to send Spurs into the quarter-finals and Dawson was delighted with the way his team-mates performed.

“Winning ugly? Definitely. The first half performance was back to walls, but we worked our socks off. Same in the second half. Look at it now – it’s rocking,” Dawson told ITV.

“Milan forced us to sit back. If you look at the players in our team, we’re very attacking, but we showed a different side to us tonight. We’ll enjoy tonight and see who we get in the quarter-final.”

Peter Crouch, who scored the decisive goal at the San Siro, also stressed the defensive efforts throughout the side.

“It’s huge. The club has never been in the Champions League before, then going to San Siro and winning, the lads defended magnificently tonight, great credit to them,” he said. “I’m really pleased and looking forward to the next round. That’s what it was all about.

“Sometimes in the Champions League you need to get results and that means defending from the front. We did that and I think over the two legs deserved to go through.”

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Edin Dzeko aims to get the better of a player he admires above all others and help steer Manchester City towards the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night.

The Bosnian striker is looking forward to pitting his wits against 34-year-old Andriy Shevchenko, who is now back at his first club Dynamo Kiev.

While Shevchenko made a name for himself in Italy with AC Milan, he failed to replicate his excellent form at Chelsea, scoring just nine goals in 47 appearances. But that has not dimished him in Dzeko’s eyes as a player of top quality. The former Wolfsburg striker, however, is aiming to have better luck in England.

Dzeko, 24, said: “Shevchenko was always my favourite player. He was my idol. I met him a few years ago when Wolfsburg played Milan and we exchanged shirts. He was a fantastic player, he had some tough times in England but that’s football. England is very different from other leagues and I’ll have to get used to it. Hopefully I’ll have a lot of success.”

Dzeko’s only goals since arriving in the January transfer window have come in cup competitions, not the Premier League. And he could return to the team in the last-16 first leg meeting after having to settle for a place on the bench in the victory against Wigan at the weekend. Manager Roberto Mancini opted instead for a partnership of Carlos Tevez and summer signing Mario Balotelli. Dzeko does not mind who he plays alongside.

He said: “It’s not only Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli is a great player and the coach has been playing all of us. We have to get used to each other in different games. I think we’ll have a lot of success together.”

Mancini said: “These three strikers can play together somestimes but not always. When they do it’s important that they work. As for Edin it is not easy to start with a new team in a new league in January but I believe he will become one of the best strikers in England.”

Shaun Wright-Phillips could come into contention after missing two games with a back problem. Nigel de Jong, who has recovered from an ankle injury, is pushing for his first start in over a month. James Milner is absent with a hamstring strain while Kolo Toure is banned indefinitely after failing a drugs test.

Mancini said: “Kolo is a serious professional player. We said one week ago that we want to win games for him.”

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Jack Wilshere has warned Manchester United that Arsenal are now fully focused on clinching the Premier League title after being knocked out of Europe.

The Gunners’ hopes of Champions League glory were ended once more by Barcelona in the Nou Camp, who recorded a 3-1 victory as they overturned a first-leg deficit to progress 4-3 on aggregate.

Arsenal, though, do not have to wait long for a chance to redeem themselves on the pitch with the small matter of an FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger’s men are desperate to end their trophy drought and a few weeks ago they were still in all four competitions. They have since lost the Carling Cup final to Birmingham and fallen to Barcelona but according to Wilshere that has simplified their hunt for silverware, allowing them to concentrate purely on domestic matter.

With the Gunners now just three points behind United, who lost their last two league matches and visit the Emirates Stadium on May 1, there is certainly all to play for as Wenger’s squad now set their sights on a league and FA Cup double.

“We are still in two competitions, just three points behind Manchester United in the league and with a game in hand,” the 19-year-old England midfielder said. “Maybe now that we are out of Europe, we can be stronger in the league, concentrate on that more, really push on to try to win the title. We know Manchester United are a great team, but they have a European game next week, so they might play a weakened side, then we can go there and take advantage of that.”

Wilshere added: “We have got great mental strength, there is disappointment in the dressing room, yes, but we have got to pick ourselves up and go to Manchester United to get the win. Then we need to be strong now in the league, to push on and make sure we get a trophy at the end of the year. We want to win every game. When United come to us, we want to be in front of them, hopefully we will be.”

Wilshere’s mature performances over the two legs against the Spanish giants were certainly a positive. Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola had suggested before the game he had several players like Wilshere in his reserves. Wilshere, though, again showed his huge potential with an impressive display up against the likes of World Cup winners Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

“There is no better place to come and play your football, and if you have a good game it is a bonus,” Wilshere said. “I will learn a lot from my own performance, but I would rather be going through.”

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has broken his media silence to run the rule over this weekend’s FA Cup opponents Arsenal, describing the Gunners as the “main danger” to his side’s trophy ambitions. 

Ferguson refused to speak to the media before or after United’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday as he was aggrieved with the way his post-match comments about referee Martin Atkinson were reported, following the Red Devils’ 2-1 loss at Chelsea last week.

But he has abandoned his position to assess the threat of Arsenal, who visit Old Trafford for an FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday needing to pick themselves up after the disappointment of their Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona.

Ferguson has been impressed, if not a little surprised, with the Gunners resurgence this season, and is happy to label them United’s chief Premier League title challengers.

The Scot believes the Gunners have “rearranged the pecking order” after emerging as credible title contenders ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City.

“Last season they faded around the February to March period to leave Chelsea and ourselves in a two-horse race that saw us pipped at the post by a point,” Ferguson said.

“I think most pundits expected to see something similar this season, plus a challenge from Spurs and Manchester City to make it even more difficult for Arsenal to get back up to the top.

“But Arsene Wenger and his players have rearranged the pecking order somewhat to come storming through to lie in second place. Clearly they represent the main danger to us achieving our ambitions in a revival of the rivalry of a few years ago, and I am sure they regard us as the major threat to their hopes.”

As for the Liverpool match, Ferguson held his hands up and admitted United deserved to lose to their rivals.

“I have no excuses for the poor performance at Liverpool, who were the better team and deserved their win,” Ferguson said. “I was disappointed because we didn’t perform to the level I expect and which, to be fair, we generally achieve.”

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