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AC Milan secured all three points in their game against Lazio last night, despite not creating that many chances throughout the game. As we have seen before, they needed just one good moment to make a difference.
As highlighted by today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (see photo below), Milan and Lazio will meet again next week, more specifically on Thursday in the Coppa Italia. It could be a heated encounter, given where they left things off yesterday.
There were arguments all over the pitch in the dying minutes, with Massimiliano Allegri getting sent off and the referee getting surrounded by the players. In the end, however, Milan were the ones who got to celebrate in the 101st (!) minute.
Indeed, the handball on Strahinja Pavlovic was deemed to be a foul instead of a penalty, with Milan dodging a penalty that most likely would have turned the win into a draw. Round two between the teams is in four days.
Top of the league… for now
Thanks to the win, Milan are now top of the standings, at least until this evening when Roma will take on Napoli. The Rossoneri managed to settle down and build on the derby win, rather than letting it weigh them down, and that was a very important sign of growth.
Allegri’s men add their seventh clean sheet of the season and their 12th consecutive match without losing. Rafael Leao scored the opener after a quick move at the start of the second half, showing that he can move like a No.9 in some instances.
Lazio were treated just like Bologna, Napoli, Roma, and Inter by Allegri, all of whom he beat in this stadium, even if the derby was technically an away game. Indeed, while the standings may not show it right not, Lazio are still considered to be among the elite of the league.
Few chances for Milan
Building on the above, Lazio and Maurizio Sarri showed early on that they mean business, forcing Mike Maignan to a stunning save after just 77 seconds. It seemed like a certain goal before the Frenchman showcased his reflexes, continuing his fine form.
Milan immediately responded with a run from Leao, whose low cross was met with an Alexis Saelemaekers shot. However, it was blocked by teammate Youssouf Fofana. From the same position, Fikayo Tomori then fired wide with a volley effort.
However, with just moments remaining before half-time, Milan had only accumulated these two chances. Lazio did very well in the defensive phase, even lining up with a 4-4-2 formation, and that made life very difficult for the Rossoneri.
Allegri even attempted to insert his players between Sarri’s two lines, but there wasn’t much room for manoeuvre, and numerous technical errors made the match seem like a rite of passage. Luka Modric didn’t have his best game either, which didn’t help.
Up front, meanwhile, Leao and Christopher Nkunku couldn’t communicate as especially the latter struggled massively.
Moment of brilliance
Having said the above, all of Lazio’s careful positioning vanished when they suddenly switched off for a second. Milan made the most of the situation, combining in a triangle shape with Modric, Saelemaekers and Fofana.
Tomori eventually receveied the ball on the right, sending a low and powerful cross into the box towards Leao and the Lazio degfenders. The No.10 managed to get there first and while the shot wasn’t brilliant, it went into the back of the net.
In the end, this moment of brilliance (and a lack of concentration from Lazio) was enough to secure the three points for Milan. Whether we will see something similar in the Coppa Italia clash remains to be seen, but the Rossoneri will likely need to do better overall.
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