Peter Crouch put the Londoners in the driving seat of their last-16 tie with the Italian giants thanks to his 80th-minute winner, but the match was overshadowed by a horrific two-footed sliding tackle from the former Arsenal midfielder in a bad-tempered match that also saw Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso appear to headbutt Spurs assistant Joe Jordan on the touchline following the game.

Redknapp was unhappy with Gattuso's conduct, but saved his most stern condemnation for Flamini, whose second-half challenge sent Corluka flying into the air but was only worthy of a booking according to the referee.

"The tackle from Flamini was a horrendous tackle," Redknapp said.

"It was a sending off. He was two or three feet off the floor with two feet. It was a leg-breaking tackle. "He will have an x-ray tomorrow but I don't think he has broken it but he could have done easily."

Gattuso afterwards apologised for his clash with Jordan

"I lost control," the Italian was quoted as saying by the BBC Sport website. "There is no excuse for what I did. I take my responsibilities for that.

"I was nervous. I didn't want to argue with players and I did it with him, but I was wrong to do what I have done."