Milan crush Parma

The Rossoneri were in scintillating attacking form, tearing the visitors apart at will as goals from Clarence Seedorf, Antonio Cassano - who also got two assists - and a quick-fire brace from substitute Robinho gave them victory in a game they dominated.

When Spurs were drawn against Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League much of the talk was of the North London side’s potent attacking threat, showcased in the group matches against Milan’s city rivals Internazionale.

But with star Spurs man Gareth Bale injured, the pre-match hype will no doubt shift to Milan’s rebirth as forward-looking entertainers, with arguably the best selection of attackers this side of Barcelona.

Home boss Massimiliano Allegri had the luxury of leaving Brazil duo Robinho and Alex Pato on the bench as his team ran rings around the visitors, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic also in great form without getting on the scoresheet.

It was the Swede’s first-time half-volleyed through ball - perfectly weighted despite the pace at which it initially came to him - that sent Seedorf clean through for an eighth-minute opener; it was Ibra’s step-over just after the hour mark that let Robinho make it 3-0 with his first touch of the ball.

But Cassano was the real star, capping off a magnificent team move by rifling home Gennaro Gattuso’s brilliant clipped pass for the second goal on 17 minutes, and making both of Robinho’s goals, the second of which was a straightforward finish after a rapid break on 65 minutes.

That speedy double killed any chance of a Parma comeback, as both sides played out the latter stages at the pace of a training game.

Milan will stay top of Serie A by the end of the weekend, six points clear of Napoli, although they face Roma later on Saturday while Inter can also close the gap to five points with a game in hand if they beat Juventus.