A 0-0 draw against Atalanta in the Lombardy Derby on Saturday saw the AC Milan winning streak halted.
A stunning performance from 16-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma kept Milan in the match as their defensive and midfield struggles resurfaced in what was a tight match, with a brilliant defensive performance from Atalanta ending the Rossoneri’s three-match winning streak.
The draw leaves AC Milan in fifth place on the Serie A ladder for now, but they can be overtaken by Sassuolo and Lazio should they win their respective matches.
Both teams had limited chances in the first half, however the second saw a flurry of activity, with most of it coming in the Milan goal mouth. Donnarumma pulled off a number of fantastic saves to keep his team in the match.
With AC Milan taking on Juventus next week, the performance that the Rossoneri put in will have Sinisa Mihajlovic feeling slightly disheartened. However, with Giacomo Bonaventura returning for the game, they will be hoping to make an impact and climb higher up the Serie A ladder.
Milan midfield struggles
AC Milan were without midfielders Andrea Bertolacci and Bonaventura for this match and it showed, with the midfield struggling to show any worth or spark against the Atalanta defence. The latter was unable to play after picking up a suspension. After showing some consistency and spark over the last three matches, which saw three successive wins, the lack of Bonaventura and Bertolacci highlighted an ineffective midfield. Bonaventura has provided most of the spark this season and having him out of the game really hurt the Rossoneri. Their distribution was unable to provide any quality connections in the final third and were unable to find a match winner.
Wonder kid Donnarumma
Donnarumma turned in his best performance in a Milan shirt so far this season. Since getting the nod for the regular goalkeeping position, he has made a huge difference and inspired confidence in the team. With the defence struggling against the Atalanta forwards in the second half, he was forced into action to make several crucial saves and provided a heroic performance between the sticks. Were it not for his spectacular saves, Milan would likely have lost the match.
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