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AC Milan came away with an important win over Roma at San Siro on Sunday night, in a game that had only one goal but plenty of drama.
Given how good both sides have been defensively this season, it is perhaps not a surprise that it took something a bit different to break the deadlock and it came via Strahinja Pavlovic. The centre-back bombed 80 metres forward to support a counter-attack, and was on the end of Rafael Leao’s assist.
Then, it was a solid defensive performance – with a Mike Maignan penalty save as well – that kept a clean sheet and also kept the Rossoneri very much in touch at the top of the table. Below are the numbers from the game.
Possession is dead
Who says you need the ball to win a game? Milan had just 37% possession during the win, and yet they created 3.32 Expected Goals and 6 big chances, compared to 2.04 and 1 big chance for their visitors.
Roma had more total shots (17 vs. 20), but the Rossoneri had 8 shots on target to 6. The Giallorossi also edged the corners but the 15 were almost evenly split. Roma meanwhile had 5 yellow cards to 1.
Individual acclaim
Mike Maignan’s save from Paulo Dybala’s penalty was the first spot kick in all competitions that he failed to convert for Roma, out of 19 attempts.
Dybala hadn’t missed a penalty in a competitive game since 30 November 2021, against Salernitana (for Juventus). Maignan saved his third Serie A penalty, his first since 6 October 2024 (against Fiorentina).
Strahinja Pavlović has scored 2 goals in this Serie A season, already matching his total from 2024-25, which was his campaign in the Italian top flight. The Serb is the centre-back with the most goal involvements in home matches in the league this season (three, two goals and an assist).
Rafael Leão is one of three forwards – alongside Dybala and Martínez – to have both scored and provided at least one assist in each of the last seven Serie A seasons (since 2019-20, his league debut). Roma are the team against whom Leão has provided the most assists in the Italian top flight (5).
Alexis Saelemaekers tops Serie A for duels won. After 10 games, the wing-back leads the league with an extraordinary 77 duels won.
On a roll
Milan beat Roma in Serie A for the first time since 14 January 2024, also at San Siro (3-1). Roma are the team the Rossoneri have defeated most often in the league (81 wins).
The Diavolo have won four of their last five Serie A home matches (D1), twice as many victories as in the previous five (D1, L2).
Milan have conceded no more than seven goals in their first ten league games of a Serie A season for the first time since 2008-09 (seven goals that season as well).
The Rossoneri (W6, D3) are unbeaten in at least nine consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since the period between December 2023 and February 2024 (7W, 2D).
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