Brahim Diaz's first goal since October gave Milan a 1-0 victory over Tottenham in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
Diaz had gone 12 games without a goal for the Serie A champions but stunned Spurs with an early header on Tuesday.
Tottenham saw plenty of the ball but were unable to come up with an equaliser on former Inter boss Antonio Conte's return to San Siro.
Milan had been without a win in seven matches before beating Torino last Friday, but Diaz gave them back-to-back victories and a slender advantage to take into the second leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 8.
San Siro erupted when Diaz opened the scoring in the seventh minute, diving to nod in on the goal-line after Fraser Forster produced a brilliant double save to deny the Spaniard and Theo Hernandez.
Spurs responded well to that early blow, though did not create a clear-cut opportunity until Harry Kane rattled the crossbar just before the break, but an offside flag against Son Heung-Min meant the striker's effort would not have counted if it had found the back of the net.
There was concern for Milan when goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu appeared to go over on his ankle before Eric Dier was shown a yellow card that will rule him out of the second leg.
Conte introduced Richarlison with 20 minutes to go before Charles De Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw wasted glorious chances to extend Milan's lead with headers from close range.
Tottenham applied some late pressure, but lacked the quality to salvage a draw and have work to do next month.
Sheffield United release Billy Sharp after promotion to Premier League
Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp will not get the chance to represent his boyhood club in the Premier League again next season after being released.
The 37-year-old, who came through the youth ranks at Bramall Lane, will end his third spell at the club at the conclusion of his current contract, departing having made 377 appearances and scored 129 goals.
He did play 45 times for the Blades last season as they won promotion from the Championship and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but boss Paul Heckingbottom does not think he is worth a new deal in the top flight.
Jack O’Connell and Enda Stevens are also released and will depart the club having played their parts in promotions over the years.
The Blades have exercised the options on contracts for Oliver Norwood, Oliver McBurnie, Wes Foderingham and Ismaila Coulibaly to keep them at the club while negotiations over new deals for John Fleck, Jack Robinson and Ben Osborn are ongoing.
Man City keeper Ederson will not opt for safe option in Champions League final
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will not change the way he plays for a safer option in the Champions League final.
The Brazil international’s ability with the ball at his feet means he has a key part to play when it comes to the team playing out from the back but when opposition teams press high that style can sometimes lead to greater risk.
But even in a one-off game, where a single mistake can decide the outcome of an entire season’s work, Ederson has no plans to play the percentages against Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday.
“We need to keep playing in the same way that we have been. We can’t change that just because we’re playing in a final,” he said.
“We have to have the personality to play, to have the ball at our feet, to find passes. Of course, making mistakes is part of being a goalkeeper, defender, the whole team.
“We’re all able to make a mistake, whether it comes in the first game of the season or the last, but we have to keep the same personality to play.”
Part of that personality is an ability to remain calm under pressure and not let setbacks derail the game-plan.
Ederson, who finished joint sixth in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Glove – seven behind Manchester United keeper David De Gea’s 17 clean sheets, feels the experience he has gained has given him the tools to cope with every eventuality.
“I think any City keeper needs to be calm, to play with personality,” added Ederson, who at the request of his daughter dyed his hair blue following City’s successful Premier League defence and will do so again if they beat Inter.
View this post on Instagram“There are a lot of teams that try to pressure us, so you need to be calm, get the ball under control and have the vision to find the right pass.
“I remember a game against Tottenham where I misplaced a pass and it led to a goal. I said to my team-mates after ‘You can still pass to me’, because errors are part of the process.
“Errors help us to grow, we learn a lot from mistakes. I mainly learn from errors. You can learn a lot more from making a mistake than you can from doing things right or from winning.
“So I always try to keep calm, to pass this calmness onto my team-mates as well, so that they know that they can play the ball to me and that I’m calm enough to make the right decision.”
Kyle Walker insists Champions League win will not define Man City’s achievements
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker insists Champions League success will not be the defining factor of the club’s achievements but admits victory would earn them recognition as one of the best teams in the world.
City’s domestic excellence is not in doubt, having won the Premier League in five of the last six seasons and collected a total of 11 trophies since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016-17.
But their only previous appearance in a Champions League final ended in defeat to Chelsea two years ago and not winning European football’s elite trophy continues to be the major football-related criticism levelled at the club.
Walker believes the trophy haul under Guardiola deserves respect but he knows until they win the European Cup it will always be a millstone around their necks.
“It doesn’t define what this squad has achieved over the last six years if we go on and win this or not,” said the full-back ahead of Saturday’s final against Inter Milan.
“It helps massively to say that we can be put in that category of probably one of the best Premier League teams of all time. We don’t win five Premier Leagues in six years if we are not a good team.
“We kind of know we are a good team but to be recognised globally as one of the best teams you need to win the Champions League.
“We are not beating around the bush with that, we know this is now a great opportunity, we have a second chance definitely with Pep and the group of players who have stayed around and we need to put right the wrongs we did against Chelsea.”
However, City are not only chasing their first elusive Champions League in Istanbul but a place in the history books.
Victory would complete a Champions League-Premier League-FA Cup treble only previously achieved by neighbours Manchester United in 1999.
To secure that would add that extra veneer of validation to Guardiola’s side and Walker admits it is a motivating factor.
“Of course, I think that United team, along with the Invincibles (Arsenal’s 2003-2004 side), is probably up there with the best Premier League teams of all time,” said the England defender.
“What us and Liverpool, to a certain extent, have done where we have been battling for the last number of years I think (means) we should be in consideration.
“Both teams have fantastic players but they have got the big Champions League trophy that we can never say we have got.
“For us to be in contention of being talking around that we need to go and pick up this but by no stretch of the imagination do we just turn up on Saturday and we win it.”
Guardiola has admitted he got the game plan wrong in 2021, after surprisingly dropping his first-choice holding midfielder Rodri.
But Walker said the players who experienced that defeat could now use it as a positive.
“I don’t think any team goes straight to the final and wins it,” he said.
“I think you always have to go through setbacks, those nearly games, those losses.
“Even with the national team, each step of the way, we have got to a semi-final, got to a final, and hopefully big things are around the corner.
“I think all big teams have to go through setbacks to actually maybe give you the little bit of desire.
“We’ve been there. When you walk out (for the first time), hear the anthem playing and see the cup you think ‘Oh my gosh, it’s actually happening now’.
“Now, when you walk out, you know you’ve been here before and it is just about playing your football and trusting the people around you.
“Erling (Haaland) is popping up with the goals, Kevin (De Bruyne) is popping up with the assists so I think we will be all right.”
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