Celtic comeback and Theo’s heroics: Milan’s top three performances of the season so far

By Lorenzo Raffaini -

Given that we are approaching the halfway point of the season, it is right to cast an admiring glance back at the fantastic work the squad have done so far.

Thanks to a number of different dazzling performers and performances, the Rossoneri are three points clear atop the Serie A table, are into the final eight of the Coppa Italia and topped their Europa League group.

Here, we have picked out the top three games of the season so far, selected based on a multitude of different factors…

Milan 4-2 Celtic – Europa League group stage

A very out-of-form Celtic were welcomed by a Milan team that were really flying. There were some big mistakes from Milan in defence especially by Krunic that saw the Rossoneri go 1-0 down in the opening seven minutes. To make matters worse the Celtic starlet Odsonne Edouard then scored a second before 15 minutes had passed.

But before long, the Diavolo awoke and Çalhanoğlu fired in a perfect free-kick to get one back. Then, a second soon followed – just as it had for the away side – with Castillejo levelling proceedings from close range.

After returning from the break was when the team really started to click again and that is why we feel it has been one of the performances of the season so far. Hauge scored with an electric solo goal to show what he is capable of and to give Milan the lead, then another contribution from the Norwegian came when he deftly dribbled on the left-hand side past the Celtic defence to assist a lovely cute finish from Brahim Diaz.

The game ended in a comfortable-looking 4-2 win that was nothing quite like the scoreboard suggested, and this game showed that this team is built of something different from a mental point of view.

If before the youth had collapsed under the pressure of the lights at San Siro, this time they showed nothing but quality from the moment they got the first goal and it was a pleasure to see so many players contributing and in a brilliant team performance.

Sassuolo 1-2 Milan – Serie A

A game of record-beating nature against a very in-form Sassuolo side had to be included.

Before you could blink, Rafael Leão scored the fastest goal (6.2 seconds) not only in Serie A’s history but in any of the ‘top five’ European leagues, and it is a moment any Milan fan could watch again and again.

What made this performance so great was that it was arguably – other than the Inter win – one of the first proper tests against a quality team in the league and all eyes were on the Rossoneri.

This game was all about control and composure and Milan showed plenty of it. A great passage of counter-attacking play enabled an easy tap in for Alexis Saelemaekers made it a a comfortable 2-0 lead before the break.

Where this game become such a memorable one, and one of the best performances so far, was that the team didn’t rest on their laurels and were hungry for more goals all the time. However, above all else and Sassuolo gaining one back quite late on, the control shown by the Milan players meant that a loss was never on the cards, and from such a young team showing this amount of game management really was impressive.

Milan 3-2 Lazio – Serie A

It would be impossible to talk about the best performances of Milan so far and not mention a game that made all those fans watching remember why we love this club so much.

This game embodied all that is means to wear the red&black shirt, fighting to the absolute end and showing some of that individual quality from one of our best players and best signings of recent times Theo Hernandez.

Like the match before, this was even more of a bonafide test of Milan’s quality and proof that our unbeaten run wasn’t just luck. A nail-biting game started off well for Milan after Rebic’s headed finish in the first 10 from a corner.

A second for Milan came by the way of a stonewall penalty, converted by Çalhanoğlu making it 2-0. This game was end to end for the full 9 0minutes, and Luis Alberto pulled one back with a headed rebound after Immobile’s penalty had been saved.

Then, in the second half, Immobile equalised with a great run and finish, and the game was all square once again. With two great opportunities missed by Rebic – one a great Pepe Reina save and the other a poor finish – it really seemed not to be Milan’s night.

Then came a magic moment in the 92nd-minute when the incredible Theo Hernandez headed home a winner that sparked rapturous scenes in what has to be not just the best game of the season but the best moment in an already fantastic season for the Rossoneri.

All these matches were great performances in their own right, showing so many skills and passages of quality that we have been lacking for some time. Above all else these matches proved, firstly, that it is not luck that the team are sitting at the top and deserve to be there.

Secondly, it showed the main commonality, our desire, drive, motivation and most importantly determination to win games. For the first time on over a decade, we have something to shout about and shout about it we will. The players must show humility, keep their heads down and treat every game like a final and who knows what might happen come the end of the season.

We hope you enjoyed remembering some of our better displays thus far in the season, like you we hope many more are to come and are looking forward to creating a new unbeaten run in the league.

Tags AC Milan Milan Celtic Milan Lazio Sassuolo-Milan

1 Comment

  1. Yh great performances indeed, it’s almost a decade we hardly see such great performances that our current players are putting out on the pitch. Thanks to the players, the management and of course the boss himself fantastic coach Mr Pioli. When he was appointed every fans were not believed that he could actually do the job because there so much pressure in the team. But now he is proving everyone’s wrong and getting closer and closer to the promise land. I wish him more luck and good health including everyone in the team.

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