AC Milan 1-0 Udinese: Five things we learned – defensive solidity and individual quality | OneFootball

The game against Udinese was a must-win for Milan, following the defeat against Fiorentina, and they succeeded even if it wasn’t easy. The red card didn’t stop them from putting in a very good display, with several positives to take from the clash.

There were quite a few changes to the starting XI with Rafael Leao, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori benched in favour of Noah Okafor, Samuel Chukwueze and Malick Thiaw. Furthermore, Theo Hernandez also wasn’t available due to suspension, with Filippo Terracciano starting.

The Rossoneri started the game well with an early goal in the 13th minute, courtesy of Chukwueze who found the bottom corner with a nice finish. Then, in the 29th minute, a controversial decision resulted in a red card for Tijjani Reijnders and Milan were forced to focus more on the defensive and preserve their lead.

Fortunately, the defence held up well and with a bit of luck – as well as two disallowed goals due to offside – Milan managed to keep the clean sheet and grab all three points. Below are five things we learned from the game…

1. Turning point for Chukwueze?

The Nigerian winger has struggled to find continuity ever since joining the Rossoneri in the summer of 2023. Furthermore, following a positive pre-season in the US this past summer, many expected a new player for this season.

At the start of this season, though, that certainly wasn’t the case. The performance against Udinese was thus a nice (as well as necessary) change, scoring the only goal of the game with a lovely driven shot and playing well overall.

Photo by AC Milan

Of course, after the red card, he had to work a lot defensively after the red card as the game changed completely. Nevertheless, a really positive performance and a crucial goal that might help the winger turn his fortunes around.

2. Defensive solidity helped seal the win

Excluding the two disallowed goals, Milan’s defence held up well and given the circumstances did enough to secure the win in a very tough situation. Emerson Royal played one of his best games in red and black, if not his best, as he was very energetic on the right flank and did not commit any uncaused errors.

Malick Thiaw and Strahinja Pavlovic kept the line high enough after the red card, and Fikayo Tomori’s absence wasn’t felt at all. Filippo Terracciano also did enough on the left to help his side win all three points.

3. Fofana stepping up

The Frenchman continued his positive form, having proved to be pivotal in that midfield in front of the defence. Yesterday evening, he really acted like a leader for the team and it felt like he couldn’t be dispossessed.

In the second half, he had to do a lot of defensive work because of the red card and didn’t feature much in the attacking plays, but he did a lot of dirty work to get the pressure away from his penalty box which in the end was important to help seal the result.

Hopefully, we’ll see more of his attacking work rate in the coming games as he has shown that he’s not afraid to carry the ball forward. So far, he’s truly stepping up to the expectations Milan had for him when they bought him.

4. Pulisic and Okafor shine

The American picked up the assist for Chukwueze’s goal, and he certainly had no issue playing in a more central role this time around. Following the red card, he did well when in possession to keep the ball and helped a lot defensively without the ball.

Okafor also did well and was unlucky to be subbed off at halftime because of the red card. But the Swiss international played to his strengths down that left flank as he managed to beat his man on a few occasions. Of course, he was the man behind the goal with a fantastic run.

The winger has previously struggled when given a spot in the starting  XI, but this time around he showed the qualities we already knew he had. As for Pulisic, he’s just been world-class this season and there’s not much more to say.

5. Fonseca got his tactics right

The coach might have been a bit controversial with some of his comments, but despite benching some key players against Udinese, he seemingly got his choices right as Okafor and Chukwueze were crucial for the goals whilst Terracciano, Thiaw and Pavlovic also did well at the back.

Photos by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

The attitude shift was also seemingly visible compared to what we saw from the team against Fiorentina, which was a shameful performance to say the least.

It will now be interesting to see how the team performs in the Champions League against weaker opponents where the three points are a must, but also in the league where continuity is needed to keep up with the likes of Napoli, Juventus and Inter.