Max Allegri’s Milan picked up a well-fought 1-0 win over Roma at the San Siro on Sunday evening, thanks to a first-half Strahinja Pavlovic goal.
The Rossoneri battled hard for all three points, with Mike
Maignan also denying Paulo Dybala from the spot later in the tie. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men also created a host of chances but a failure to convert was key in Milan getting a win.
With the Diavolo back up to third, we look at some key talking points from the game.
Pavlovic resurgence continues
Pavlovic’s goal is a stark indicator of his rise under Allegri. Last season, the Serbian caught major criticism for defensive errors and inconsistency. There was also a point when Milan also considered a quick sale.
He has turned it around a lot of credit goes to Allegri, who has given him the license to maraud forward from the back. This led to the goal on Sunday. Not just that, but Pavlovic has also been making in-roads into attack in pretty much every game. It is clearly working, giving Milan an extra man to attack with.
Leao returning to his best
Sometimes, it feels like Rafael Leao is underrated by his own club’s fanbase. Very few players in the world can create a goal out of nothing like he did at the San Siro. At that point, the Rossoneri very barely creating anything and weren’t even dominating possession. It took only some touches for Leao to create Pavlovic’s goal, showing his class.
He has now contributed to four goals in his last three games at a point when Milan have been struggling upfront. There is a lack of proven goalscorers and in this time, it is Leao who is taking responsibility and if Allegri does take Milan to the Scudetto, it will come down to Leao’s form and bringing the most out of his skillset.
Saelemaekers doesn’t hold back
Alexis Saelemaekers has arguably been Milan’s best attacker this season. His performances have screamed consistency, with the Belgian coming across as a man on a mission.
That was also the case on Sunday as he was key in Pavlovic’s goal for carrying it forward into the final third. Even otherwise he completed four out of possible six dribbles – the most in the tie. In what was another industrial performance, he won as many as nine ground duels out of a possible 13. That was the highest in the entire game.
This has now become synonymous with the wing-back, who is proving key to the system.
Peak Allegri show
In the game, Milan had only 37 percent possession. Before Pavlovic’s goal, they had barely created anything and they scored from almost out of nowhere. As the game grew on, they found more spaces to attack in and despite a significantly lower amount of possession, they created an xG of 3.32, which is much more than that of Roma.
The Giallorossi had their chances but were closed out by impressive and resolute defending towards the end. Milan also took the sting out of the game at perfect points and had a setup which was countering Roma well, suggesting how Allegri had everything planned out.
A showing like this isn’t new and more of these can come soon.
