Following the win against Inter at the weekend, Milan extended their unbeaten run this evening and secured yet another three points, this time in the Europa League. Celtic never really stood a chance as the Rossoneri got the job done in Glasgow, scoring three goals in the end.
Many questioned Stefano Pioli’s decision to start Rade Krunic over the likes of Rafael Leao and Jens Petter Hauge this evening, but the Bosnian came up big with the opener after just 14 minutes. Samu Castillejo was able to pick him out in the box and he made no mistakes with a lovely header.
Brahim Diaz doubled the lead towards the end of the first half after starting a counter-attack with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Theo Hernandez. The latter eventually found the Spaniard in a good position and the Real Madrid loanee easily beat his defender before slotting it home.
Celtic pulled one back with around 15 minutes to go, making the most of a corner as Mohamed Elyounouss headed it home. However, Hauge extended Milan’s lead in injury time with his first goal for the club, finding a pocket of space in-between the defence. Down below are three things we learned from the game.
1. Kept their calm despite pressure from the home side
Sure, the second half certainly wasn’t the best from a Milan perspective, but even after Celtic scored their goal it seemed like Pioli’s men had control. If anything, the attack should have been better as they made too many errors, although the third goal was indeed perfection all the way.
Just like in the derby, Milan managed to keep their calm when under pressure and this is a very important aspect. The old Rossoneri would have crumbled instantly, but that isn’t the case anymore. The team is improving day by day and it remains to be seen when their now 21-game unbeaten run will end.
2. The numbers are impressive as Milan score again
The Rossoneri have been on fire as of late attacking-wise and this isn’t exactly a surprise given the depth they have there. In fact, they have scored two or more goals in ten consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since December 1964, 56 years ago.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has obviously been an important figure since he arrived in January, but it should also be noted that he has missed four games at the start of the season. In other words, the Swede isn’t the only one responsible for all the goals: the Rossoneri have a clear plan for the attack and it’s working.
3. Depth showed off as debutant did well
Pioli made quite a few changes to the starting eleven this evening, opting to field Diogo Dalot, Sandro Tonali, Rade Krunic, Brahim Diaz and Samu Castillejo. The former made his debut for Milan and did relatively well on the right-hand side, while I have no complaints about the other four either.
It seems the players who previously struggled have turned things around, really excelling under Pioli. Saelemaekers, who has improved a whole lot just in the last few months, is a great example of this. Many would even consider him a starter at this point, which goes to show how the Rossoneri have stepped up with their depth.
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