AC Milan vs. Palermo: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game

Milan eventually won a back-and-forth contest at San Siro on Saturday, earning their second league win of the season with a 3-2 victory over Palermo.

The Rossoneri took the lead in the 20th minute thanks to a well-crafted Carlos Bacca finish. Palermo equalised 12 minutes later through an Oscar Hiljemark header from a corner kick.

Milan regained the lead before half-time, with Giacomo Bonaventura curling home a delightful free-kick on 40 minutes. Palermo head coach Giuseppe Iachini was given a red card in the aftermath of the goal.

Palermo leveled the score again in the 72nd minute, with Hiljemark played through after an intricate passing move to slot beyond Diego Lopez for his second. However, Milan simply weren't to be denied, and Bacca got his second of the game with 15 minutes remaining, rising to head home from a Juraj Kucka cross.

Milan held on to seal an important win that follows on from their improved performance against Inter Milan last time out.

Here are our winners and losers from the match.

Winner: Davide Calabria

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Ignazio Abate made a positive start to the game at right-back. Early on, he played an excellent ball down the right flank for Luiz Adriano to run onto, nearly leading to a goalscoring opportunity. Unfortunately, that was the most involved he was, as he had to go off in the 18th minute through injury.

One player's misfortune is another's good luck, however, as Abate was replaced by 18-year-old youth-team graduate Davide Calabria.

Calabria had previously only played six minutes of Serie A football, but his inexperience didn't tell. The youngster played a part in Milan's opening goal, whipping in an accurate, well-paced cross from the right for Bonaventura to control and tee up Bacca to finish.

From there, his confidence grew with the crowd fully on his side, cheering as he showed his commitment in the tackle and willingness to push forward.

Loser: The Carlos Bacca-Luiz Adriano Strike Partnership

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Carlos Bacca helped himself to two goals against Palermo: one a cool finish with little backlift from close range; the other a placed header that nestled in the bottom-left corner of the net.

The Colombian is settling in well at San Siro, scoring three times in his first four league games. The same cannot be said of Luiz Adriano.

Adriano has bagged just one league goal so far, but it is more his link-up play—or lack thereof—with Bacca that has been more disappointing. The pair have shown themselves to be quality individuals, though their partnership needs some work.

Mario Balotelli impressed when he came on against Inter last time out, and he came off the bench again against Palermo. If Bacca and Adriano continue to struggle alongside one another, it cannot be long before Super Mario is thrown into the starting lineup in one of their places.

Winner: Franco Vazquez

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Swedish midfielder Oscar Hiljemark has made a fantastic start to life with Palermo, per OptaPaolo's Twitter, he has scored two goals with his first three shots on target in Serie A.

While Hiljemark may receive the credit for his two goals against Milan, another Palermo midfielder impressed away from the limelight.

Franco Vazquez was the man who supplied Paulo Dybala for many of his goals last season, and the Italy international was at his diligent best against Milan.

After an inauspicious opening, Vazquez began to get on the ball more and more as the match wore on, his intelligent movement and positioning finding space and his left foot cutting holes in Milan's defensive structure.

Alberto Gilardino flicked the ball through for Hiljemark to score his second, but it was Vazquez who supplied Gilardino initially.

He may not always get the attention he is due, but the statistics do not lie. Per WhoScored.com, his six completed dribbles were far more than any other Palermo player achieved while his 81.3 per cent pass accuracy was above his team's average. He was the Rosanero's most dangerous player.

Loser: Palermo Coaching Staff

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Palermo were hit by double blows on two separate occasions. After conceding their second and third goals, members of staff were dismissed from their technical area for dissent.

First to leave was head coach Giuseppe Iachini, who was sent off by referee Carmine Russo after Bonaventura's free-kick put Milan 2-1 up. Then went his assistant, Giuseppe Carillo, who was last seen jogging away from the pitch after Bacca's winner in the 79th minute.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) after the match, Iachini said the following about the incident: "It’s disappointing, as I was just trying to point out that some half-fouls were being treated differently, but it seemed to me a civilised protest and not enough to warrant getting sent off."

It's unclear how long Iachini and his assistant will be banned from the touchline, but their dismissals cannot have aided the Palermo players as they attempted to pick up what would have been a valuable away point.

Winner: Giacomo Bonaventura

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Sinisa Mihajlovic seems intent on playing Giacomo Bonaventura in a central-midfield position. It's a position the player is not necessarily best suited to, but it is one to which he does seem to be adapting well.

Certainly, going on the evidence of his performance against Palermo, Bonaventura appears to be taking the new role in his stride. WhoScored.com rated him as the Man of the Match. He set up the opening goal before winning, and subsequently curling home, the free-kick for Milan's second.