AC Milan vs. Chievo: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
Luca Antonelli scored in the 52nd minute to give AC Milan a 1-0 win over Chievo at San Siro on a wet Wednesday evening. The result meant that, for only the second time this season, Milan put back-to-back wins together.
The scoreline was momentous for another reason: This was the first time this season that Milan have managed to record a clean sheet.
The first half was a turgid affair punctuated by the poor conditions and the hosts’ lack of connections in the final third, meaning they were unable to break down a stout Chievo side. That changed early in the second half, however, with Antonelli on the end of a nice move to put Milan ahead.
Milan looked much brighter for the rest of the match and tested the Chievo defence but couldn’t find a clinching second goal. Instead they held on to their one-goal advantage to seal three important points.
Here are our winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Gianluigi Donnarumma
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Gianluigi Donnarumma made his Milan debut in the recent home victory over Sassuolo at the tender age of 16. His selection caused controversy with the club’s previous No. 1, Diego Lopez, reportedly furious about being dropped for a youngster.
According to Sport Mediaset (h/t Football Italia), despite being under contract until June 2018, Lopez was “so furious at this snub that he could walk out in January.”
Despite this, Donnarumma continued between the sticks for Milan for their victory over Chievo and played his part.
He made a reaction stop to tip over a header in the first half before denying Alberto Paloschi from close range in the second.
He misjudged an aerial ball in the dying seconds of the match, but fortunately, this did not lead to the concession of a goal, as the referee blew for a foul on him.
Donnarumma had more to do in his second start for Milan but didn’t look out of his depth, garnering a strong 7.34 rating, per WhoScored.com.
On the basis of this performance, there is no guarantee Lopez will return to his goalkeeping spot any time soon.
Loser: Alberto Paloschi
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Although Donnarumma played well, not all Milan youth products enjoyed this game. Paloschi came through the ranks with the Rossoneri before leaving in 2008, and he did not have a positive experience on his latest return to San Siro.
Playing up front for a cautious Chievo was not ideal for Paloschi, who was given little service throughout. Apart from one good run to latch onto a through ball and test Donnarumma with a shot from close range, he had little to no impact upon the match.
In fact, that was his only shot in the entirety of the 90 minutes, leaving him with a poor 6.13 rating from WhoScored.com. In the future, he will require far better support from his team-mates.
Winner: Sinisa Mihajlovic
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Manager Sinisa Mihajlovic has been under intense scrutiny of late following Milan’s poor start to his first season in charge.
According to Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football Italia), his future with the club was in doubt despite last weekend’s win over Sassuolo, as “those inside the club feel that not enough had been done by this point after a summer of heavy spending.”
In such circumstances, every match is a must-win for the Serbian coach, and so he will have been delighted to record a second consecutive win, even if the display was far from inspiring.
Milan underwhelmed in the first half but kicked into gear in the second, and Mihajlovic will be looking to replicate that second-half form when Milan travel to face Lazio this Sunday.
Loser: Chievo Fans
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Chievo fans rarely get to enjoy their trips west to visit Milan. Per Opta Paolo, “Milan have won their last 10 home games against Chievo in Serie A and they have not conceded goals in six of [those] 10 matches.”
On this basis, fans of the Flying Donkeys perhaps shouldn’t have expected much from this match. However, they must surely have hoped for better than what they witnessed here.
The weather was terrible, the match was—for large periods—dull, and Chievo barely had a sniff, with just four shots compared to Milan’s 24. There really was little for the visiting fans to get excited about, and the end result only compounded their misery.
