December 04, (THEWILL) – With a convincing 2-0 victory over bottom-side Salernitana, AC Milan reclaimed first place in the Serie A on Saturday.
Goals from Franck Kessie and Alexis Saelemaekers in the first half put the Rossoneri two points clear at the top until Saturday evening, when Napoli hosts Atalanta for a chance to retake first place.
It only took the hosts five minutes to break the tie. Rafael Leao’s cross found Kessie unmarked, and he stroked a first-time shot beyond Vid Belec.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was rested ahead of the club’s crucial Champions League encounter against Liverpool on Tuesday, so Pietro Pellegri got his first start of the season. However, he was forced to leave after only 15 minutes due to an injury.
In the 18th minute, Saelemaekers made it 2-0, cutting inside and sending a superb shot into the far bottom corner, raising Simon Kjaer’s shirt in joy after his teammate was ruled out for six months.
If it had not been for Belec’s fantastic stop to deny Rade Krunic before the break, it would have been 3-0.
Stefano Pioli substituted Junior Messias and Ismael Bennacer for Leao and Tiemoue Bakayoko in the second half, with the game all but over and Tuesday night obviously in sight.
While Milan maintained possession after the break, they slowed down the tempo and generated very few chances, with the replacements obviously upsetting the match’s flow.
Milan has followed up a 3-0 win over Genoa on Wednesday night with a comfortable win against Salernitana.
The club’s confidence is definitely on the up again, which can only be a good thing ahead of a number of difficult matches. After Liverpool, Pioli’s squad travels to Udinese on Saturday before hosting Napoli in a crucial six-pointer at the top of Serie A on December 19.
However, Pellegri’s injury comes at an inopportune time, given how excellent the 20-year-old has been since signing on loan from Monaco.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
