Fiorentina 1-1 AC Milan: Nkunku strikes late to rescue Rossoneri another draw

AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw for the second straight game, this time by Fiorentina, and for a second straight game it needed a late leveller.

After a first half in which Milan created at least three big opportunities to score – all wasted by Christian Pulisic – Fiorentina were the one who got themselves ahead in the second half as Pietro Comuzzo headed in a corner.

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Just as it looked like the unbeaten run was over, substitute Christopher Nkunku popped up in the final minute to fire in a pass from another substitute in Youssouf Fofana. The home side rattled the bar in the dying seconds, but a draw was the end result.

It is yet another case of failing to beat a team in the bottom half of the table and yet another game of two halves. While waiting to see how Inter-Napoli ends later, the Rossoneri could well be five points off the top, or drop in the table.

Massimiliano Allegri made six changes to the starting line-up that drew with Genoa, given the game was less than 70 hours ago. The likes of Koni De Winter, Pervis Estupinan, Ardon Jashari, Samuele Ricci and Niclas Füllkrug all got the nod from minute one.

Fiorentina were the team who started brighter, and forged a couple of openings in the first few minutes. Firstly Dodo found Gosens in a central area but he fired over the bar, then Gudmundsson tried to meet the run of the German with a low cross that Mike Maignan had to be alert to cut out.

There was a frantic 20 seconds or so when Fiorentina thought they had an opening as Gudmundsson fed Pongracic on the overlap but De Winter blocked well, then Christian Pulisic almost got through on goal at the other end but was denied by a last-ditch challenge and a block from De Gea.

Milan looked almost certain to take the lead in the 18th minute, and again it involved Pulisic getting behind the defensive line. Some great hold-up play from Füllkrug saw the ball reversed into the American who was one-on-one, rounded De Gea but hit the side-netting with his shot from a narrow angle.

It was one-way traffic by the midway point in the first half. Pulisic again found himself alone on goal after some nice work by Füllkrug with his back to goal. This time he shot early, and this time De Gea made a reaction save, but the attempt was straight at him. From the resulting corner, the goalkeeper kept out Matteo Gabbia’s header that was going in.

Pulisic must have thought that it wasn’t his day when he led a break half the length of the field with Füllkrug to his right, rolling a low shot inches wide of the far post while Fiorentina protested what they believed to be a penalty at the other end.

Half-chances were then traded in the build-up to the interval. Firstly Ricci blazed an effort over the bar from 20 yards out despite being in space, then Ndour headed a Parisi cross into Maignan’s arms from a good position.

Tempers flared right at the end of the first half as Saelemaekers took a couple of very rough challenges. The second decision isn’t one that Fiorentina’s bench and staff agreed with, learning to their head coach Paolo Vanoli being sent off for repeated protests.

The first attempt of the second half took five minutes to come, with a Mandragora cross to Gosens resulting in Maignan just about keeping the ball out with his legs. A corner not long after yielded a shot from 20 yards straight into the Frenchman’s arms, but with plenty of power behind it.

Fiorentina had a couple more shots on goal, with Dodo seeing an effort deflected over, and a header nestling into Maignan’s grateful arms from the corner that resulted.

Allegri clearly didn’t like what he had seen, making three changes on the hour mark. Adrien Rabiot, Rafael Leao and Davide Bartesaghi were the ones who came on, with Jashari, Füllkrug and Estupinan making way. Three minutes after that, Youssouf Fofana replaced Loftus-Cheek.

Milan struggled to get out of their own half, and Gabbia had to provide a block with his backside to deny Ndour’s shot from inside the box, with Fiorentina the team who were knocking strongly on the door.

In the 66th minute, Fiorentina got the goal that their second half pressure had suggested was coming. In the end it was rather simple in method: a corner from the left side, met by the glancing head of Comuzzo, with the ball nestling in off the far post.

As Milan went in search of an instant equaliser, there was a worrying moment when Pavlovic went up to meet a free-kick and took a strong blow to the head. He was bandaged up heavily, but Christopher Nkunku had to take his place, marking a change to a 4-3-3.

The Diavolo were presented a chance to get themselves level with a free-kick right on the edge of the box for a foul on Saelemaekers, which must have been centimetres from being a penalty. The lay-off from Pulisic, however, was hammered into the car park.

The barrage late on to try and preserve the unbeaten run continued. A cross was hoisted out only to Ricci, who had a run up and shot from just outside the edge of the box, yet the ball fizzed wide of the far post.

In the final minute of the 90, Milan did get themselves back on level terms and it came through Nkunku. Saelemaekers won the ball back in midfield and started a quick break, with Fofana feeding his compatriot, who put his right foot through the ball and seemed to surprise De Gea. The ball cannoned in off the near post much to the bewilderment of the Fiorentina players, who asked for a foul and an offside but got neither.

The seven minutes of added time were as chaotic as you might expect involving two teams that really needed the three points, with the biggest chance being Brescianini hitting the bar from close range with a big chance to hurt his former club.