EUROPA LEAGUE LIVE: Inter Milan v Tottenham - as it happens from the San Siro
By DAN RIPLEY
Inter Milan 2-0 Tottenham (6pm)
Inter Milan: Handanovic, Jonathan, Juan, Chivu, Zanetti, Gargano, Kovacic, Cambiasso, Guarin, Palacio, Cassano.
Subs: Belec, Alvarez, Ranocchia, Benassi, Pasa, Colombi, Belloni.
Goal: Cassano 20, Palacio 52.
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Naughton, Dembele, Livermore, Parker, Sigurdsson, Defoe (Holtby 56), Adebayor.
Subs: Lloris, Huddlestone, Lennon, Assou-Ekotto, Caulker, Carroll.
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)
All the latest scores from the Europa League last 16 second leg
19.15: Defoe has been awful for Spurs and is replaced by Lewis Holtby as Villas-Boas aims to bolster the midfield.
19.12: GOAL! INTER MILAN 2-0 Tottenham
Now it really is game on. Spurs are not learning their lessons and again their back four is split as Rodrigio Palacio gets in behind William Gallas before poking past Friedel.
19.09: Chance for Spurs but after a decent run from Adebayor, his cut-back for Jan Vertonghen is blocked by an Inter defender.
19.06: There's finally been a goal between Rubin Kazan and Levante, and it's the Russian side that has scored to take a 1-0 lead in extra time.
19.06: It takes 60 seconds for Palacio to have another run behind the Spurs defence, but on this occasion the pass through to him is offside - only just though.
Struggling: Tottenham's Jermain Defoe (bottom) failed to make any impact in the first half
19.05: As Tottenham restart, here are reasons to be concerned from Sportsmail's Laura Williamson at the San Siro:
'Tottenham look really uncomfortable playing here tonight. Whether it was the rows of empty seats inside such an iconic stadium or the luxury of a 3-0 lead from the first leg, they began leisurely and never really developed any intensity in the first 45 minutes.
'Inter Milan had repeated success attacking down their right and by playing simple long balls over the top and Spurs kept get caught out.
'Their cause is not helped by Scott Parker having a very poor game in the centre of midfield, giving the ball away far too frequently, while Mousa Dembele is ineffective on the right.
'The Belgian is a wonderful player to watch when he is on the ball, but he keeps drifting centrally or over to the left, meaning Jermain Defoe runs out to the right to find space and Tottenham are left without a potent striker in the centre.
'Spurs look vulnerable here, even with a 3-1 aggregate lead. They are not only missing Gareth Bale, but desperately need an injection of Aaron Lennon’s width and pace. The England man is on the bench and trained last night, so it will be interesting to see if or when Andre Villas-Boas decides to introduce him.'
19.02: In the early kick-offs, Basle have lost 1-0 at Zenit but they will go into the quarter-finals after winning 2-1 on aggregate. Rubin and Levante have drawn 0-0 and are now in extra-time.
18.59: Newcastle starting XI:
Elliot, Santon, S.Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Haidara, Anita, Tiote, Cabaye, Marveaux, Cisse, Sissoko.
Battle for the ball: Tottenham's Mousa Dembele (right)competes for the ball with Inter Milan's Mateo Kovacic
18.56: From Sportsmail's Laura Williamson at the San Siro:
'A very uninspiring first 45 minutes for Tottenham ended on a particularly unsavoury note. Emmanuel Adebayor fired a shot over the bar and the Inter Milan fans behind the goal responded by waving an inflatable banana.'
18.53: Chelsea starting XI:
Cech, Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Oscar, Mata, Hazard ,Torres.
18.50: Half-time: Inter Milan 1-0 Tottenham
Frustration: Inter Milan boss Andrea Stramaccioni reacts at seeing his side waste a chance
18.48: Another ball over the top and another Inter player is onside. This time it's Guarin who has a chance to shoot but he fires straight at Friedel.
Straight at the other end though Spurs nearly hit a sucker punch. Adebayor steals the ball on the edge of the Inter box, but his attempted chip just clears the crossbar.
18.47: Two minutes are to be added on in what has been a challenging first half for Spurs.
18.45: Another time wasting booking for Spurs as this time Friedel sees yellow.
18.43: Inter are still looking dangerous every time they attack though as Fredy Guarin slices wide with a long distance strike.
18.40: After that mid-half wobble, Spurs are ending the half a little more positively now as they win a corner. It comes to nothing though as Handanovic punches clear.
18.37: Close from Spurs but Sigurdsson's free-kick into the Inter box is headed wide by Kyle Walker.
18.34: Finally Spurs manage to get some time on the ball, but aside from a Gylfi Sigurdsson shot from 20 yards, they have failed to really test Samir Handanovic in the Inter goal - an away goal is the key for the visitors this evening.
18.31: It's not improving either. Scott Parker is showing initiative by trying to drive forward with the ball on the attack, but three times in as many minutes he has run into an Inter defender. The hosts look very calm and composed.
Danger man: Antonio Cassano (right) looked lively for Inter Milan
18.28: As this half goes on, Tottenham are fading. Once so confident on the ball, they are now struggling to string passes together. Defoe and Adebayor are hardly getting a look in.
18.25: And this should be 2-0. Spurs are not playing that bad but Inter are red hot and after Cassano chips the ball over the top, Palacio is through on goal before his attempted lob bounces off the crossbar.
18.22: From OptaJoe:
1 - Tottenham have conceded their first goal in six games against Italian sides in European competition. Early.
Start of the comeback: Antonio Cassano headed inter Milan in front on the night
18.19: GOAL! INTER MILAN 1-0 Tottenham
Spurs have looked good on the ball but Inter have looked far more dangerous when attacking and take the lead. It's a lovely move from the hosts with Rodrigo Palacio crossing for an unmarked Antonio Cassano to head home. Strike one against Tottenham.
18.16: There is the Cassano warning again from the long pass. This time the Italian is onside but his low shot from the angle is comfortably saved by Brad Friedel.
Meanwhile, Jake Livermore picks up a needless booking for time wasting - it's a bit early for that.
In the dug-out: Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas takes position pitch side
18.13: Antonio Cassano is a good five yards offside as Inter play another long ball over the top, but Spurs are allowing the Inter midfielders too much time to play that pass so far.
Tottenham are proving sloppy in attack as a number of passes to Emmanuel Adebayor have the seen the striker lose the ball a little too easily.
18.10: Inter are starting to see more of the ball and now it's Spurs that are having to do a bit of defending. The hosts have played a couple of clever balls over the top but Jan Vertonghen and co have been just about alert to them so far.
Duel: Inter Milan's Cristain Chivu (left) battles with Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor for the ball
18.07: From Sportsmail's Laura Williamson at the San Siro:
'The San Siro is so quiet and empty you can hear the 1,400 or so Spurs fans high in the heavens singing ‘Your ground’s too big for you’.
'This one has all the atmosphere of a pre-season friendly: not, perhaps, the best advert for a competition Tottenham have taken so seriously this season under Andre Villas-Boas.
There was further farce before kick-off, too The teams swapped sides, only to be told to revert to their original positions.
'It feels highly, highly unlikely, but teams have managed to overcome a 3-0 first-leg deficit 19 times in this competition before tonight. You never know!'
18.04: Just like at Lyon, Spurs are keen just to keep possession in these opening exchanges but they are keeping Inter camped inside their own half.
18.01: Away we go at the San Siro.
Tickets available: The San Siro was full of empty seats for the game
17.57: The teams are out in Italy, I have to say the ground looks emptier than Ewood Park was last night. A Europa League comeback hasn't quite gripped the home supporters it seems.
17.54: Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas spoke to ITV before the game:
'Our ultimate objective is to reach the Champions League. It's been a wonderful ride for us and we have been up against some of the top teams in Europe.
'Every single event is never enough going into the second leg. Games can be unpredictable, we had some great examples in the Champions League yesterday.
'We have to set out the same way we have played recent games - if we score one it can be the end of the tie and that will be our focus. We can't compromise against a club of this size.'
17.49: It's half-time in Russia, Zenit are still a goal up on Basle (but 2-1 behind overall) while it's still goalless between Rubin and Levante.
17.46: It's been chilly in Britain in recent days but it's a little warmer in Milan this evening which has been bathed in 11 degrees sunshine for most of the day.
We need a miracle: Inter Milan's supporters display banners referring to the newly elected Pope Francis, Inter Milan's captain Javier Zanetti, Barcelona's Lionel Messi, and model Belen Rodriguez, all from Argentina
17.43: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was left frustrated with performance of the match officials in yesterday's clash, and the signs don't look good for Spurs (or Inter) this evening.
17.38: Newcastle are on the verge of reaching the Europa League last eight tonight but it seems the pressing questions around St James' Park surround Alan Pardew's facial hair.
Here, Sportsmail's Colin Young previews the Toon's clash with Anzhi in his Northern Exposure column.
17.33: We have a breakthrough in Russia as Zenit have edged ahead against Basle to half the deficit in the tie to 2-1.
17.30: It can be quite amusing seeing how quickly the favourites change in this competition. Prior to their games against Lyon, Spurs were 18/1 to win the Europa League.
After their emphatic 3-0 first leg win over Inter Milan, the north London club are now a best priced at 7/2 to win the competition according to oddschecker.com
On a separate note I've already seen Inter priced as far as out as 66/1 this week to win the Europa League. They are up against it but given Arsenal's performance yesterday would you really rule out an Inter comeback?
High flying: Basle and Zenit got the night's Europa League action underway
17.27: Stick around after Tottenham's game in Italy by the way, as we will also bring you live coverage of Chelsea's home clash with Steaua Bucharest and Newcastle's St James' Park meeting with Anzhi - I'm calling it now and saying both are going through.
17.24: The San Siro clash is the only 6pm game this evening as we already have two 5pm matches underway.
Nothing to report from Russia though as Rubin Kazan are drawing 0-0 with Levante, while Zenit v Basle is also goalless - the Swiss side of course lead 2-0 on aggregate.
17.21: Full line-ups from the San Siro:
Inter Milan v TottenhamInter Milan: Handanovic, Jonathan, Juan, Chivu, Zanetti, Gargano, Kovacic, Cambiasso, Guarin, Palacio, Cassano. Subs: Belec, Alvarez, Ranocchia, Benassi, Pasa, Colombi, Belloni.
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Naughton, Dembele, Livermore, Parker, Sigurdsson, Defoe, Adebayor. Subs: Lloris, Huddlestone, Lennon, Holtby, Assou-Ekotto, Caulker, Carroll.
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)
Bale force: Gareth Bale scored a second-half hat-trick in Spurs' 4-3 defeat at Inter Milan in 2010
17.18: Emmanuel Adebayor leads the line against Inter Milan as Tottenham look to seal their passage to the quarter-finals of the Europa League at the San Siro tonight.
Aaron Lennon is only deemed fit enough to take a place on the Spurs bench while Brad Friedel starts in goal. Inter's team includes the recalled striker Antonio Cassano.
17.15: In case you are unaware or have simply been living under a rock this past week, Tottenham will be without Gareth Bale this evening as he is suspended following his booking for simulation in the White Hart Lane leg.
The last time Spurs played Inter at the San Siro in 2010 they were 4-0 down at half-time, before the Welshman's hat-trick brought some respect to the scoreline - the north London side don't have that get out of jail card this evening.
17.12: A big call from Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas to start Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe this evening. Credit to him though for taking an attacking approach to this game.
If Tottenham get an away goal, Inter would need five goals rather than three to keep them in this competition.
Heating up: Tottenham will hope to book a quarter-final spot at Inter Milan's San Siro stadium
3 - The last team to lose the 1st leg of a European game 0-3 and still progress to the next round were Werder Bremen in Nov 1999. Comeback?
17.06: Inter Milan starting XI:
Handanovic, Juan Jesus, Chivu, Cambiasso, Jonathan, Guarin, Kovacic, Gargano, Zanetti, Palacio, Cassano.
17.03: Tottenham starting XI:
Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Naughton, Dembele, Parker, Livermore, Sigurdsson, Defoe, Adebayor.
17.00: So for the first time since 1996, there will be no Premier League teams in the quarter-finals of the Champions League - but that doesn't mean England cannot continue an assault at bringing home a European trophy.
Still going strong in the Europa League are Tottenham, Newcastle and even Chelsea. Surely one will reach the last eight tonight - there's even a realistic chance that all three could make it. Hope springs eternal folks!
Team news from Spurs' trip to Inter is coming right up.
Advantage: Tottenham go into the last 16 second leg clash with a 3-0 lead
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