Tottenham vs. AC Milan: Score and Reaction from 2015 Audi Cup 3rd-Place Match

Tottenham Hotspur celebrated the return of star goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a 2-0 win over AC Milan in the third-place match of the 2015 Audi Cup on Wednesday.  

Nacer Chadli gave Spurs an early lead, and Tom Carroll doubled their advantage midway through the second half. Fans had even more reason to celebrate when Lloris played his first minutes of the pre-season, replacing Luke McGee after half-time.

Both Spurs and Milan were far from their best on Wednesday, but manager Mauricio Pochettino won't care one bit. The win should give his squad the momentum it needs heading into their first Premier League match later this week.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Star striker Harry Kane was given a rest, as Spurs will kick off their campaign with a difficult trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on Saturday. Lloris made the squad for the first time this summer, as he continues his recovery from a broken wrist.

Chadli started the match on fire, taking full control of the reins in midfield. He blasted a free-kick through the Milan wall in the opening minutes before opening the score in the eighth minute. Cutting in from the right side, he curled a shot past Christian Abbiati from the edge of the box.

The Rossoneri were shocked by the early deficit and couldn't get much going in the midfield. Alessandro Matri and Ben Davies had some words before the former tried to chip McGee after a long ball from Suso, but with the exception of that effort, the Spurs defence was hardly threatened during the opening stages of the match.

Meanwhile, Chadli continued to impress with his work rate, as Talking THFC noted:

Youngster Joshua Onomah also looked the part, per the Telegraph's Tom Edwards:

Matri remained the main danger man for the Rossoneri, testing McGee with a hard shot after a smart pass from Ignazio Abate. Alessio Cerci also started to find his rhythm, and guided by the former Torino man, Milan became more dangerous. Too often, the speedy Italian was allowed too much time on the ball, and Tottenham were lucky Cerci failed to do more whenever he advanced deeply into the Spurs' half.

Carroll nearly doubled Tottenham's lead after a great through ball from Erik Lamela, but Abbiati read the play beautifully and made a vital stop. Minutes later, he repeated his heroics when Onomah was given far too much space down the left side.

Fans were hardly impressed by the efforts of Milan's defence and midfield. SiriusXMFC's Anto took a shot at the latter in particular:

Tottenham easily held on to their lead until half-time, and with the Premier League opener against United looming on the horizon, plenty of substitutions were expected early in the second half. As Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail shared, Lloris was among the players participating in warm-ups, and he looked well doing so:

Chadli almost immediately found himself in a dangerous position to shoot, but this time, Milan's defence managed to close down the Belgian in time. 

As is often the case with these pre-season matches, the pace dropped dramatically in the second half due to a glut of substitutions. Fans were thoroughly excited to see Lloris return to the pitch, however, per Hotspur Related:

"

Hugo Lloris is officially back! #COYS pic.twitter.com/6zX2cpSDDL

— Hotspur Related (@HotspurRelated) August 5, 2015"

Harry Winks, one of the new faces for Spurs, found Lamela with an excellent through ball, but Gabriel Paletta, who was by far Milan's best defender, managed to get a block just in time. Spurs tried to keep up the pressure, but even more substitutions interrupted the flow of play once again.

Ryan Mason forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma after some lovely work from Lamela, who grew into the match after a rather poor start. 

Carroll finally got his goal after coming close early in the match, when he was given far too much space inside the Milan box after a corner. The 23-year-old calmly curled the ball past Donnarumma, finding the left corner for a beautiful finish.

Kieran Trippier provided the assist, and the pretty pass should further fuel the debate over who should start at the right-back position for Tottenham. E-Spurs prefers the 24-year-old:

Lloris had little to do for much of the second half but had to be alert to stop a stinging drive from Rodrigo Ely, and by stopping that hard shot with relative ease, the France international showed his wrist seems to have healed just fine.

All in all, it was a comfortable afternoon for Spurs, who easily controlled the Milan attack and made the most of their chances. Chadli appears to be in excellent form heading into the new Premier League season, and coupled with Kane, Pochettino's attack looks to be hitting its stride at just the right time.

The return of Lloris is the biggest story of Wednesday's match, however, and while there's no guarantee he'll be ready to start at Old Trafford, the signs certainly look encouraging.

Post-Match Reaction

Pochettino was visibly excited with the win and believes his team is ready for Saturday's big clash at Old Trafford. Spurs' official Twitter account was kind enough to share the interview:

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