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AC Milan sent a signal to their Scudetto rivals with a narrow win against Cagliari on Friday evening. While it wasn’t a fantastic performance, there are many positive stats to take from the game.
As things stand, the Rossoneri are at the top of the standings with 38 points, two points ahead of their city rivals Inter. The Nerazzurri will face Bologna on Sunday evening and could reclaim first place, but at least Massimiliano Allegri put pressure on Cristian Chivu.
Furthermore, there are some very positive stats to take from the game last night, both related to the nature of the performance and the overall contribution.
One big chance, one goal
Taking a look at the overall stats for the game, you can tell that it wasn’t the most entertaining Friday entertainment at Unipol Domus. Both teams had under one in xG and very few shots on target, with just one for the home side and four for Milan.
Milan converted their only big chance of the game, and it’s worth noting that this was also their first shot on target. It’s the 12th time this season that the Rossoneri have scored the opening goal with their first shot on target, which is both remarkable and a tad worrying.
Nevertheless, all things considered, Allegri and his men deserved to come away with all three points – even if it was a narrow one.
Rabiot was everywhere
No matter where Milan were on the pitch, Rabiot always seemed to be available and he was crucial for the team, getting the assist for Leao’s goal. The heat map confirms his impressive movement, spending a lot of time on both sides of the midfield.
Clearly, while his position in the starting eleven said left-central midfielder, Allegri wants him to move around a lot to confuse the opponents. It worked last night, especially in the second half, as Cagliari struggled to pick up his runs (including on the goal).
Favourite opponent for Leao
Despite playing at about 70% capacity, keen on avoiding a serious injury, Leao managed to find the back of the net. The fact that he did it against Cagliari wasn’t as surprising, though, with six goals scored against the Sardinian side in his career.
Indeed, it’s his favourite opponent in Serie A along with Fiorentina (six goals against both). It will be nice to see him back in perfect condition too, as he could make any maximum sprints last night and thus was hindered a lot in his performance.
Solid at the back
Milan kept their ninth clean sheet of the season last night, conceding just one shot on target, and it’s the first time they have kept so many in the first 17 games since 2011/12 (also 9, with Allegri on the bench).
As if that wasn’t enough, the Rossoneri confirmed their defensive strength away from home, having only conceded five goals in away games all season (!). All of this has also helped them remain unbeaten for 16 consecutive league games for the first time since 2021-22 (the Scudetto season).
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