Parma 2-2 AC Milan: Rossoneri surrender two-goal lead to drop more points

AC Milan let more valuable points slip away as they surrendered a two-goal lead against Parma in a 2-2 draw on Saturday night.

Milan will be left kicking themselves as they had the game perfectly in hand in the first half. Alexis Saelemaekers opened the scoring with a lovely precision striker, then Rafael Leao tucked away a penalty that the Belgian won.

However, Adrian Bernabe’s goal just before the break seemed to inspire Parma, who then levelled through Enrico Delprato in the second half after a spell of pressure. Milan missed big chances to win it – including a Christian Pulisic one-on-one – and had to settle for a draw.

The result means that the Rossoneri have failed to take advantage of the fact that Napoli, Inter and Roma play on Sunday as they have not gone outright top of the league, and it continues a worrying trend against struggling sides.

Massimiliano Allegri chose to make one change from the team that beat Roma last weekend, with Pervis Estupinan coming back in at the left wing-back position, and Davide Bartesaghi dropping to the bench.

The opening 10 minutes of the game was predictably cagey, with both sides trying to prod and probe in possession to figure out shape. Milan had a couple of set-pieces to try and get the ball into a dangerous area but didn’t succeed, while Rafael Leao maybe should have found Christopher Nkunku’s run through on goal in transition but misguided his early pass.

Milan took the lead in the 12th minute, and it was a quite simply gorgeous finish from Alexis Saelemaekers that broke the deadlock. Leao did find Nkunku this time in a move that didn’t exactly flow, but the Belgian picked up the ball and curled a dart of a low shot into the bottom left corner.

Parma briefly thought that they had levelled things very quickly, through the former Milan man and boyhood Rossoneri fan Cutrone. A corner was not properly cleared and as the ball was hooked back in, it took a flick through to the striker who bundled in, though he was stood a couple of yards offside and it was rightfully disallowed.

Midway through the first half, Milan were given the chance to double their lead, and Saelemaekers was again involved as he drew a penalty. A weaving run from the right saw the Belgian nutmeg one man, beat another and get to the byline, where he was chopped down by Ndiaye.

The referee Marco Di Bello was called to the monitor but – after two minutes of replays showing clear contact – he chose to stay with his decision. Leao took on the responsibility as the new penalty taker, and he buried it emphatically into the bottom-left corner.

From the second goal, the Rossoneri took command of the game as the home crowd – who had seen their side score just five goals in 10 games prior to Saturday night – began to put some audible pressure on their team. Nonetheless, the only real attempt the away side had was a shot from Luka Modric on the edge of the box that Suzuki saved comfortably.

Parma finally threatened Mike Maignan’s goal in the 39th minute. It came via a predictably direct route: a cross from the right side met the head of Delprato, who had pushed up from full-back, though his header from a good position lacked power and/or placement.

Not long after Nkunku had fired a stinging shot at Suzuki the was parried, Parma got themselves right back into the game. It was a piece of sublime quality from Bernabe, who got the ball on his favoured left foot after Estupinan had been sent flying, and he curled a stunning shot into the far top corner with Maignan watching it sail in.

Parma started the second half on top, buoyed by their goal just before the break, and they had appeals for a penalty of their own. Cutrone tried to set up Pellegrino with a low ball across the face of goal but Estupinan did just enough to stop the Argentine from getting a tap-in, and a VAR check for a possible handball after a pinball off Samuele Ricci yielded no spot kick.

Carlos Cuesta – the Parma coach – was one of Mikel Arteta’s assistants at Arsenal before he took the job in the summer, and some evidence of that was clear from the home side’s approach. Long throws caused Milan issues, and Pellegrino maybe should have hit the target from a few yards out after ghosting in.

It felt like just a matter of time before the Gialloblu drew level. Bernabe looked to repeat his first-half finish by opening his body and trying to bend one into the top corner in the 57th minute, though this time he lifted it well over the crossbar.

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Just before the hour mark, Allegri chose to make his first change. Nkunku was the one who made way, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming on to partner Leao up top.

Parma kept getting closer and closer to making it 2-2, and by the time it came in minute 62 it was probably deserved. Pellegrino had hit the post with a header, moments before a cross from Britschgi was flicked in by Delprato who was all alone.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, a double substitution was made by the Milan boss. Davide Bartesaghi and Christian Pulisic were the two players who came on, replacing Estupinan and Ricci, with Loftus-Cheek dropping back into the midfield three.

As the clock ticked under 15 minutes left, Pulisic had a huge chance to make himself an instant hero. A nice flick from Leao put the American through on goal, yet with only the keeper to beat he slotted it wide of the right post.

The end-to-end nature of the game continued, and after Maignan made a reaction save with his legs from a free-kick at one end, Saelemaekers spurned another big chance to put Milan back ahead. A through ball put the Belgian in on goal and he rounded Suzuki, yet somehow seemed to shank his effort off-balance and couldn’t hit the target. Not long after, De Winter came off for Zachary Athekame.

In the first minute of five added, Modric found an opening to fire on his left foot from the edge of the penalty area. Suzuki initially spilled it, but managed to regather just before the sliding Pulisic was able to bury it from close range.