Fulltime: Down to ten men, AC Milan draws 1-1 with Udinese

Starting XI

First Half

Straight from kickoff we were fortunate to witness some end to end football. AC Milan and Udinese alike were taking the match to their opponents and made for an exciting, and nerve-wracking, first half. Suso and Bonaventura kept up their excellent form causing havoc for the Udinese back line.

The surprise addition of Andre Silva over the disappointing Kalinic has paid off for manager Gennaro Gattuso. His dribbling and hold up play was fantastic and while he may not have found the back of the net, he certainly opened up space for his fellow Rossoneri.

Then came this...

Sure, Suso attempts these way too often and we chastise the misses. Nobody is complaining now...

Udinese snapped back incredibly fast. The combination of De Paul and Kevin Lasagne was not to be snuffed out and looked a dangerous combination all match. However, the Rossoneri would see out the first half, even if the match was pretty even on the pitch.

Second Half

Once again, both teams came out firing. Chances from Lasagna multiplied and Milan fans could only fidget and wait to give up the equalizer. However, this is not the same Milanese we’re used to. This is Gattuso’s Milan, and they are not easily intimidated.

Davide Calabria, already booked in the first half for a silly challenge, remarkably seemed intent on spoiling the day with a second foul, and sent off. Milan forced to play defensive, subbing off Giacomo Bonaventura and Andre Silva.

It was only a matter of time as Kevin Lasagna would not be denied, even accidentally:

Gianluigi Donnarumma did what he could to get a hand on it, but the deflection sails the ball away from prying arms.

To Milan’s credit, after the equalizer they kept on pushing, creating a number of chances down to ten men. The efforts from Suso and Kessie gave Udinese something to think about while pressing forward. In the end, a fair result, even if it felt disappointing.

Final Thoughts

The Rossoneri knew this would be a difficult challenge. A draw here is a fair result given what we saw on the pitch. One could argue if Davide Calabria didn’t lose his head, this is a match we see out. We still remain unbeaten in 2018 and that’s something to build on.

MoTM