AC Milan 1 Genoa 0: The Zlatan Ibrahimovic Show

It may only be the fifth round of the season and the fourth game that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has featured in, but already Milan is becoming the Ibra show.

This is not necessarily a bad thing—not at all. Ibrahimovic is a player of phenomenal talent and one who proved in his time at Inter that he can single-handedly carry teams to victory and silverware.

The current Milan side is one still riddled with issues and it's for this reason that Ibrahimovic's arrival was met with such delirious excitement.

Failing to bring players in that will solve the glaring gaps in both defence and midfield, Milan chief Silvio Berlusconi instead brought in one player that can help Milan gloss over these issues.

Milan's performance against Genoa wasn't a good one by any stretch of the imagination. The team was largely out-played with Genoa, at times, dominating possession.

Nonetheless, one wonderful long ball by Pirlo that was expertly finished off by Ibrahimovic gave Milan the goal that proved to be enough.

Though it may not have been a vintage performance, the Rossoneri at least showed the kind of fighting spirit that is essential to a team aspiring for honours.

What was disappointing were the performances of Robinho and Ronaldinho.

It was Robinho's first start in Serie A so he can perhaps be forgiven, but for Ronaldinho no such excuse can be made. Apart from his brilliant showing on the opening day of the season, Ronaldinho has failed to impress. He's been particularly poor in his last two outings.

The Milan defence was not outstanding, however, it did record a clean sheet. No significant criticism can really be laid on Nesta and his colleagues at the back.

One positive was the midfield with the stellar performance of Gennaro Gattuso.

Yes, that's right, Gennaro Gattuso put in a solid display in the middle of the park alongside Pirlo, the midfield combination that once ruled the world.

Before jumping to the wild conclusion that Gattuso is back, it must be remembered that it has been a very long time since he has performed at such a level. Only if he can back it up in Holland midweek can we start contemplating whether Rino is back or not.

For Milan this match was an extremely important win. Though the performance was not great, it was good enough, and three points is three points. With Inter losing to Roma, Milan's title challenge is very much back on track.