AC Milan triumphed over reigning Serie A champions at San Siro on Sunday, with Alexis Saelemaekers (3′) and Christian Pulisic (31′) on the right track, earlier than Kevin De Bruyne pulled one again for Napoli from the spot, after Pervis Estupinan earned a straight crimson card for fouling Giovanni Di Lorenzo contained in the field.
Groups
Midfielder Ardon Jashari was unavailable for Milan by a damaged leg, however coach Massimiliano Allegri in any other case had the total squad at his disposal.
With Mike Maignan in aim, Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic fashioned the again line of three. In the course of the park, Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana supplied operating energy with veteran Luka Modric on the anchor. Saelemaekers and Estupinan coated the flanks, whereas Santiago Gimenez performed with Pulisic in assault.
Then again, Napoli boss Antonio Conte had many extra harm issues to work round. There was no Romelu Lukaku, Alessandro Buongiorno, Mathias Olivera, Leonardo Spinazzola, Amir Rrahmani, or Nikita Contini.
Alex Meret stood between the posts. Miguel Gutierrez on the left and captain Di Lorenzo on the proper flanked Juan Jesus and Luca Marianucci in defence. Stanislav Lobotka was the deepest one in midfield, with Scott McTominay and Frank Anguissa in box-to-box function. De Bruyne and Matteo Politano have been tasked with creating from out broad, whereas Rasmus Hojlund led his group’s assault.
Key moments and match circulation
Milan struck early — simply three minutes in — when Pulisic drove ahead, created house, and picked Saelemaekers on the again publish for a easy end. The opener and its timing set the tone for what was to return all through the primary half.
Napoli appeared unsettled, and Milan doubled their lead simply previous the half hour: a slick counter-attack noticed Strahinja Pavlovic burst by, hand off to Youssouf Fofana whose flick went to Pulisic; the shot of the USA worldwide was deflected simply sufficient to wrong-foot Meret and go in.
After the break the momentum shifted and it made an impression which mirrored on the scoreboard. Estupinan dedicated a foul on Di Lorenzo that led to a penalty and initially a yellow card, nevertheless it was upgraded to crimson after a VAR examine. De Bruyne transformed from the spot to deliver Napoli again into it across the 60-minute mark.
Nevertheless, Milan held on beneath growing stress. Napoli pushed ahead late, had probabilities (together with one from David Neres clipping the publish), however Maignan made some key saves to make sure victory for the house facet.
Pulisic delivers when it counts
Christian Pulisic was the fulcrum of Milan’s attacking spark. He supplied the help for the opener after which scored the second, each creative and composed.
The flexibility of the previous Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea ahead to burst ahead, exploit gaps, and affect play offers Milan a unique dimension — not simply by the wings, however in transitions as effectively. When he’s on type, he forces groups to stretch, which creates room for others behind him to function.
Milan present nice resilience with 10 males
The crimson card Estupinan obtained may’ve simply turned the sport on its head fully. It did assist Napoli’s momentum, because the Partenopei smelled the potential for a comeback towards one in all their strongest rivals for the Scudetto and piled ahead with nice urgency.
Nevertheless, Milan’s response beneath stress was spectacular. Somewhat than collapse, Allegri’s facet reorganised defensively, Mike Maignan made essential saves as Napoli camped within the last third, and the Rossoneri managed the sport well to protect a 2–1 victory.
The crimson card made the end nervy, nevertheless it additionally underlined Milan’s resilience in closing out a end result that despatched them prime of the desk.
Napoli’s harm issues take toll
Napoli have been lacking key defenders and needed to depend on makeshift options — and people gaps confirmed.
The early double transfer that Milan executed, Pulisic’s deflected effort, all of those moments have been made attainable by Napoli’s lack of cohesion on the again. Later, as stress mounted, there have been too many near-misses and half-chances fairly than clear management or composure.
Conte clearly shouldn’t be judged too harshly for this end result; no Serie A boss would’ve been in a position to make up for lacking gamers like Lukaku, Rrahmani, Olivera, Spinazzola, and Buongiorno. To place it merely, there’s an excessive amount of high quality among the many names lacking from the group sheet.
Huge checks lie forward
Milan now sit on the summit (on aim distinction) alongside Napoli and Roma — buoyed by this morale-boosting win. Their subsequent take a look at is available in Serie A towards Fiorentina, adopted swiftly by an Europa League tie with RB Leipzig, each demanding assignments that can take a look at depth and flexibility.
For Napoli, the urgency is even better. They journey to face Juventus in Serie A subsequent — one other conflict with title implications — earlier than returning to continental responsibility within the Champions League, going through reigning continental kings Paris Saint-Germain. Recovering from defensive frailties and structural lapses shall be key in the event that they’re to stay aggressive throughout all fronts.
