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AC Milan recorded potentially their biggest win of the season so far on Sunday night, beating Inter 1-0 in the first derby of the season.
The only goal of the game came through Christian Pulisic early in the second half as he buried a rebound from Alexis Saelemaekers’ shot. Yann Sommer did well to get down to the low-angle attempt, yet with his right hand he succeeded only in parrying it straight into the American’s path.
Speaking of goalkeepers, Milan had Mike Maignan to thank, as he made stunning saves from Lautaro Martinez and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty to keep a clean sheet – his sixth in the league this season in 12 games – and to secure a massive win.
It is a fourth derby win in the last six (all unbeaten), with the Rossoneri moving above their rivals into second place. They are two points behind the league leaders, Roma, and the positive record against teams at the top continues. Ben Dixon has five things we learned from the game.
1. Maignan’s best-ever Milan performance?
Little more needs to be said other than Maignan was incredible for the Rossoneri on Sunday night. A captain’s performance in every sense of the statement.
Against Inter, he made six saves, including the one from 12 yards, as he ended the game with more than 2 xG prevented. A phenomenal performance against any opposition. Yet, the fact that it came against the Nerazzurri in a game with such meaning makes that performance even sweeter.
Maignan’s performances this season have constantly gotten better, and it is fair to suggest that he is experiencing his best period of form since he joined the club, perhaps even before then, too.
Whilst that is brilliant in the short term, it is also enjoyed with a bitter aftertaste. Maignan was great, but how long does he actually have left at Milan? With these performances, the list of suitors will only grow. So, the Diavolo must make a few final, considerable attempts to get him to stay.
2. Pulisic is the No.9
In the summer – and since then, in fairness – a lot of the talk has been about a striker, or the lack of one. Massimiliano Allegri requested someone with a predator-like instinct in the box. A more physical option, but a goalscorer, primarily.
However, they may only need the secondary element of that.
Pulisic’s movement for the goal on Sunday was phenomenal. He crept behind Manuel Akanji, and despite his call for a pass being overlooked, he continued to progress and then pounced on the rebound, catching the Swiss defender napping.
A simple goal, but a striker’s one. Admittedly, there were a few doubts about the striker partnership leading into this game. However, he and Rafael Leao combined well, and they got the better of a solid defensive unit.
Maybe the answer was there all along?
3. Still question marks
Whilst some answers may still be present, there are other questions that Allegri must deal with. Youssouf Fofana, despite his nice work for the goal, still played with a few issues, being sloppy on occasion.
It is a long-standing issue with the Frenchman, and questions are constantly being asked of him and his place in the team moving forward. Of course, there was the positive of his involvement in the decisive moment. However, he is not secure, especially with Ardon Jashari and Ruben Loftus-Cheek returning in the midfield and Samuele Ricci providing stability when called upon.
Then, Christopher Nkunku is also not helping to strengthen his case. He was only given 10 minutes, so we cannot be too harsh. However, he had three touches in that time, and whilst context plays a part, he looked invisible.
Right now, it is difficult to justify the price paid by the Rossoneri in the summer… and it probably has been for a while.
4. From doubt to certainty at wing-back
In the summer, the wing-backs were a particular area of interest. Alexis Saelemaekers’ time with Roma showed that he was a fine choice for the position, and this has remained the case. But the same could not be said on his opposite flank.
Pervis Estupinan arrived, but conviction did not. It would be a case of waiting to see how he fared. A few decent moments were overshadowed by the shakes, and a red card against Napoli gave an opportunity to Davide Bartesaghi.
Whilst the Ecuadorian returned at the first opportunity, he made a few errors, and so the Italian was trusted to be a starter on Sunday. A fantastic decision in the end, with Bartesaghi launching himself further.
The Italian looks to be a potential star in the making, and despite his inexperience, he looked – and, after the game, sounded – confident and mature. Any doubts are likely now fading, and it seems the partnership on the flanks could already be nailed on moving forward.
5. Allegri’s derby win
The victory can be attributed to several strong performances across the pitch; however, it almost always falls back to Allegri.
Maignan’s upturn in form can be linked to his arrival and the expectations rising on him, as well as the goalkeeper coach brought to Milan. Pulisic as a No.9 has been tried previously, but this is the truest version of a ‘striker’ Pulisic that has been seen.
Then, the decision to trust Bartesaghi and Saelemaekers, a win in itself.
All of these factors go back to Allegri, but then there is the fact that the Rossoneri are better than the sum of their parts. Traditionally, his teams have always been tough to beat, and this is the case at San Siro.
Beating the Diavolo is not an easy feat, which it was for large parts of last season. His team are well-oiled and robust, hard-working and focused. It takes mistakes, really, to get anything off the team, and even despite one, Inter could not breach Maignan’s goal.
Milan are back to being a team, wins are combined efforts, and that is thanks to Allegri.
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