Ademola Lookman gave the home team the lead in the 38th minute as Atalanta took the lead heading into halftime.
Olivier Giroud’s goal in first-half stoppage time made sure the two sides would be tied at the half, thus they wouldn’t be ahead at the half.
However, Lookman scored again to put Atalanta ahead, and Charles de Ketalaere, on loan from AC Milan, turned the screw on his parent team by setting up the game-winning goal. But Pulisic’s header across the box, which Luka Jovic punched in to make it 2-2, made sure Milan would walk away with at least a share of the points.
Davide Calabria received what appeared to be a pointless second yellow card shortly before the final whistle, meaning Milan would have to play stoppage time with one man down. They were unable to, as Luis Muriel’s goal in the 95th minute gave the hosts a 3-2 victory and dealt a serious blow to Milan.
Sitting comfortably in third place, AC Milan’s defeat prevents them from gaining any significant ground in the Serie A title chase. They currently trail rivals Inter, who play Udinese on Saturday, by six points and league leaders Juventus, who overcame Napoli on Friday, by seven points.
With five points separating them from Milan going into their encounter this weekend, Roma, in fourth position, has a chance to close the gap. Napoli, on the other hand, will still be five points adrift going into the following matchday.
The offense of AC Milan has appeared comparatively weak without Rafael Leao, and in this game, Pulisic, the Portuguese star’s main substitute, battled for extended periods of time. But Pulisic’s ball across the box, which resulted in the equalizing goal, was just what Milan needed—someone to make an impact.
Since Pulisic was starting in Leao’s regular position, Milan’s attack came from the left rather than the right. Samuel Chukwueze, who started on the right, also had difficulty until being substituted early in the second half.
Ismael Bennacer in to elevate the middle unit after Musah moved from midfield to right wing in his place.
Was all effort and no end product for much of the match but, when his side needed someone to make something happen, Pulisic took charge. It was the type of sequence clubs need from their superstar, as Pulisic put the ball on a platter for Jovic to score a vital goal.
A solid day for Musah, who plugged a lot of holes for Milan on the day. Started as a deep-lying midfielder and ended up on the right wing, showing his versatility and ability on the ball.
Now that Milan must win in order to advance in the competition, they can turn their attention to a pivotal Champions League match on Wednesday when they go to Newcastle.
To have a shot at second place against PSG, Pulisic and company will need to win and maybe get some assistance from Borussia Dortmund; if they win, they would, at most, finish in third place and earn a trip to the Europa League.
Milan will be completely eliminated from Europe if they do anything less.
Leave a Reply