The Bianconeri made the ideal start to their Champions League last-16 first-leg clash against the north London club at the Allianz Stadium, with Gonzalo Higuain bagging a brace in the first 10 minutes.
However, Spurs responded with Harry Kane pulling one back in the 35th minute before Christian Eriksen levelled matters in the 71st minute with a superb free-kick to give the Premier League outfit the away-goal advantage heading into the second leg at Wembley Stadium.
“In any football match, you can have ups and downs. That is part and parcel of the game. We might have extended our lead to 3-0 or even 3-1 before half-time, but instead Tottenham staged a comeback and ended up equalising at a point in the second period when we actually had the measure of them," said Allegri, according to the club's official website.
“It was an enthralling encounter overall: we started the first half excellently, but ultimately succumbed to Spurs’ steady growth of confidence during the game. They put us under pressure and capitalised on some of our misplaced passes when we looked to break forwards.
“With [Mario] Mandzukic and Douglas Costa playing close to [Gonzalo] Higuain, and a bank of three midfielders behind them, we coped better. Before that, we were sitting too deep.
“Let’s not forget about Tottenham’s merits in this match. This is the Last 16, after all, and I had already counted on having to go to Wembley to fight for a place in the next round. I never thought that we would kill off the tie this evening.”
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