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It was a bit of a strange build-up leading up to the trip to Bologna, but AC Milan put it to one side and won convincingly.
As Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews) report this morning, the headlines surrounding Milan were dominated by the Jean-Philippe Mateta drama, the many injury issues, the fact Inter are running away and the teams directly below keep winning.
Last night, however, all of that was swept away by Milan, who at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara produced one of their best efforts of the season. The new attacking duo of Christopher Nkunku and Ruben-Loftus-Cheek was the catalyst, and the usual indispensable Adrien Rabiot scored too in a 3-0 win.
‘A show of strength’
In covering the match this morning, Corriere della Sera chose a phrase that aptly sums up the Milan performance in Emilia: ‘A Rossoneri show of strength’. With Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic and Alexis Saelemaekers out, one of the best attacking performances of the season bizarrely followed.
Their replacements – Nkunku, Loftus-Cheek and Zachary Athekame – all performed well and were supported by the usual suspects. Luka Modric had a freer role, a hungry Rabiot devoured the midfield, and a solid defence kept things tight at the back.
Massimiliano Allegri, as expected, was very clear after the match: it’s much better to have increased the gap to fifth-placed Roma than to have matched Inter’s result. The crucial phase of the season is around the corner though, including the return derby on March 8.
Starting to think about even something more than Champions League qualification could be a healthy temptation, especially if Milan play with the authority they showed in Bologna, and with less games than their cousins.
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