After the disappointing loss against Atalanta which led to being knocked out of the Coppa Italia, Stefano Pioli and his men turned their attention to Serie A where they had to face Roma at the San Siro.
As is so often the case, AC Milan found a way when their backs were against the wall. They took the lead just 11 minutes into the game through a lovely goal by Yacine Adli, his first in Serie A, and San Siro roared in a way he will never forget.
In the second half it was Milan setting the tempo as they came out looking for a second goal which they got in the 55th minute through Olivier Giroud, which was the Frenchman’s 10th league goal of the season.
After that Milan seemed to be in cruise mode before Davide Calabria gave Roma faith in the 69th minute as he committed a foul on Pellegrini that resulted in a penalty which Paredes converted.
Despite the goal, though, it’s fair to say that Milan stayed in control, and in the 84th minute after a lovely move saw Giroud set up Theo Hernandez who fired a rocket in off the bar and kill the game at 3-1.
Here are five things we observed during the win…
1. Stepping up in a big way
It’s been a weird season again for Adli, who has had much more playing time compared to last season and after some very positive performances then some rather underwhelming ones, Pioli seemed to have put him down the pecking order yet again.
However, he has been given more playing time again in recent weeks and got to start against Roma, and what better way to show your worth than scoring a lovely goal to give your side the lead?
The Frenchman showed off his technique to beat his man on the edge of the box followed by a well-placed shot to beat the keeper – and with his left foot too.
Adli didn’t stop there as he continued to dictate the game and was always available for his team-mates. He also showed good work rate on both ends of the pitch and rightly got Man of the Match award in our post-game ratings.
2. Costly clumsiness
Ruben Loftus-Cheeks has some good moments, as he usually does, winning duels and bursting forward using his strength and pace to shake off his man.
However, he again struggled in the final third as he had during the first part of the season. The Englishman found himself in a couple of very good positions where he should’ve been more determined taking a shot on goal or looking for the pass.
Instead he seemed too hesitant when he got into dangerous areas, leading to him being dispossessed. For example, he went down inside the box claiming Kristensen had fouled him, but it was not a penalty he should have hit it earlier with his left foot.
It’s clear that the ex-Chelsea man has the quality and has already proven to be a good bit of business given his cost was not astronomical, but there’s this feeling that he’s just a level below being a crucial part of this squad.
3. Back in business
Matteo Gabbia was called back from his loan at Villarreal a couple of weeks ago due to the injury crisis Milan have had (and continue to have) in the defensive department, and this move has proved to be positive so far.
The Italian was recalled because it was free to do but mainly because he knows the club and the league so well. He started in the cup against Atalanta and had a really solid game before having to come off after getting a knock on the head in the first half.
Against Roma you might’ve thought it would be a tad harder for Gabbia as he had to mark Lukaku, but the centre-back had no troubles at all as he was the best defender on the pitch, keeping it simple and playing well on possession too.
While there continues to be reflections regarding whether or not to invest in a central defender now, the 23-year-old certainly isn’t raising the level of urgency.
4. French rearguard
Theo Hernandez has taken on a lot of responsibility as of late to lead his side in tough moments, from playing out of position to scoring or assisting in crucial games. Against Roma it wasn’t any different as he returned to the left-back spot.
He played a good game which he topped off with a wonderful goal after combining with Giroud and scoring from just inside the area in a moment where the lead was just one goal. That vicious strike pretty much secured the win for his side.
The same goes for his compatriot, Mike Maignan. The goalkeeper couldn’t do much on the penalty but had a couple of really crucial saves that kept Roma at bay and his side in front.
It’s always a game-changer to have a world-class keeper and fortunately for Milan, Maignan is one of them. His distribution also caused issues too, given the accuracy of his long balls.
5. The drought ends
We’ve criticised Giroud quite a bit as of late – even when he was assisting or scoring – purely because his overall game hasn’t been that great. Plus, he hadn’t scored a home league goal since August.
This time around, however, he got a goal and an assist whilst always being much more involved in the match and winning quite a few duels. The 37-year-old actually dropped into midfield a bit to drag Mancini out, meaning he was a tactical key too.
Giroud obviously won’t be the most mobile due to his age, but maybe the rest he got as a result of Luka Jovic playing more has done him some good as he looked much better against a good side.
