At San Siro on Saturday night, AC Milan defeated Juventus 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd to earn a significant home victory.
The first goal came just before the break when a corner was not cleared and Fikayo Tomori eventually thumped home from close range after blocking an Olivier Giroud shot. This was enough for Milan to notch another victory over their fierce rivals.
With the second goal, Brahim Diaz almost had the entire crowd in awe as he pounced on a loose ball from Manuel Locatelli, knocking it past Leonardo Bonucci and past Szczesny after getting through on goal.
Even if only temporarily, until the teams around them finish their games, the victory pushes the Rossoneri into second place, seven points behind the Bianconeri.
After losing to Chelsea in midweek, Stefano Pioli decided to make four changes to the starting lineup. Sergino Dest was replaced by Matteo Gabbia, and Pierre Kalulu moved to right back. Tommaso Pobega replaced Rade Krunic to form a three-man midfield. Brahim Diaz replaced Charles De Ketelaere. Theo Hernandez was reinstated at left back.
Milan actually started the game in a more traditional 4-2-3-1 formation with Pobega in front of the Tonali-Bennacer double pivot and Diaz functioning primarily from the right, with numerous fractious challenges and player squabbles.
In the ninth minute, Locatelli soared forward with the ball and sent a wide pass to Cuadrado, who had space to drive toward the box and narrowly miss the far left post. This was the opposition’s first half-chance of the game.
The next chance fell to Milik after a dummy from Vlahovic allowed a cut-back to reach the Polish striker. Milik turned and fired a shot from just inside the box directly at Tatarusanu after backing into his defender. Danilo would immediately follow it up with a 25-yard low shot that missed the far post.
In the 20th minute, Milan came within centimeters of scoring what would have been an excellent set piece goal. Leao reacted by flicking the ball goalward, but it hit the post and went behind for a goal kick as a result of Kalulu’s flick at the near post.
Leao’s cross-shot was deflected behind by Vlahovic just before the half-hour mark, and despite Giroud’s cries for VAR to review it, they decided it wasn’t a penalty even though the Serbian forward appeared to jab his elbow toward the ball.
Leao again struck the woodwork for the Rossoneri 12 minutes before the break, this time with a shot from distance that curled past Szczesny and struck the base of the post. The Rossoneri were getting closer to breaking the scoreless tie.
Milan took the lead that their pressure had earned just before halftime. Giroud was given another risky corner, and he tried his hand at a pivotal shot for the first time. The ball hit Tomori in the midriff from about eight yards away, dropped, and Tomori spun and fired into the roof of the net.
Cuadrado was replaced by McKennie after the break as Allegri made a substitution. Vlahovic’s elbow once again attracted attention when he followed through with a block-off and knocked Theo Hernandez to the ground; Pioli claimed foul play, but there were ultimately handshakes.
As he made darting runs to split the opposition defense, Leao continued to be at the center of nearly every Milan attack. However, eight minutes into the second half, when he had a clear shot from the edge of the box, he missed the target.
Leao’s error would not last long, though, as Milan doubled the score in the 55th minute. This time, Brahim Diaz was solely responsible for the goal. The Spaniard pounced on an errant pass, maneuvered it around the last defender Bonucci to get through on goal, and finished past Szczesny, who could only get a touch on the ball as it sailed into the goal.
For Milan, substitutions were made in two batches. First, Krunic replaced Pobega, and then, shortly after the Bosnian shot wide, De Ketelaere and Rebic replaced Brahim Diaz and Giroud, respectively.
Hernandez made a startling run in behind to intercept a pass over the top at the halfway point of the second half. He steadied himself and beat Szczesny to the ball, but instead of shooting into the far corner with the ball almost curling inside the post, Hernandez chose to try and score. Juve let Milan off because they had a great opportunity to cut the deficit in half and get back into the game when Milik’s downward header from a beautiful right-wing cross went straight into Tatarusanu’s arms from about 10 yards out.
Milan then started to play around with their opponents as they continued to turn the ball over in risky situations, frequently in their own half, leaving Pioli’s team torn between trying to score more goals or control the game well.
After Leao performed keep-ups near the sideline to emphasize how much Milan was in charge, there was a final double substitution that saw the Leao and Bennacer replaced by Divock Origi and Aster Vranckx.
One of the many candidates for Man of the Match, Kalulu, made a decisive stop to stop Moise Kean after he entered the box and had the goal gaping.
The final action was a flashpoint when Tonali was kicked in the follow through from a free kick, which caused a square up and some bookings to be given out. Origi had a late opportunity to open his account for Milan but saw his shot saved from a tight angle.
A well-earned Milan victory puts the Rossoneri seven points ahead of their opponents and allows them to quickly forget their Champions League failure. The Scudetto-holders overcame a long list of absences to ultimately dominate a dreary Old Lady, displaying all the tenacity that helped them become champions in May. Despite having more possession of the ball, Juventus struggled to capitalize on it without the help of the suspended Angel Di Maria, and they are now slipping further into mid-table obscurity.
Read More;
SERIE A | Sassuolo 1-2 Inter : The Nerazzurri wins at Mapei
UEFA Conference League | Hearts 0-3 Fiorentina : La Viola strengthens their place in group
Uefa Europa League | Roma 1-2 Real Betis : Giallorossi failed to win at Olimpico