Milinkovic-Savic, Zaccagni, Luis Alberto (penalty) and Felipe Anderson score: the Biancocelesti secure Inter in third place
The Lazio overwhelms 4-0 il Milan at the Olimpico in the last match of the 19th day of A league and certifies the AC Milan crisis. The biancocelesti unlock it after just 4′ with a paw of Milinkovic-Savic and in the 38th minute the doubling arrives Zaccagni. In the second half the music doesn’t change: in the 65th minute he thinks about it Luis Alberto to drop three of a kind on a penalty kick, before Felipe Anderson you complete the poker on the umpteenth skid of the opposing rearguard. The Napoli flies to + 12 on the Rossoneri, while Sarri’s boys hook theInter in third place at 37.
THE MATCH
Another very heavy blow, after the Super Cup blow. Milan collapses under the fury of Laziostumbles upon third defeat of the season in the league and see the Napoli escape to the top of one ranks more and more in blue tints. So it continues nightmare January for the Rossoneriwho seem to have lost condition and even serenity, as shown by i continuous defensive blackouts. Sarri instead he is enjoying the great moment of his team, who have found rhythm, intensity and concentration after a somewhat uncertain start to 2023. With the Juve out of the game the ranking smiles and the Championscontinuing like this, is far from a utopia.
Ready to go and Lazio immediately take the lead: Felipe Anderson drops down on the trocar to set up, Luis Alberto and Milinkovic attack the area, Zaccagni’s cross is for the Spaniard, who however with a brilliant veil lets the ball reach the Serbian, good at beating Tatarusanu first intention. The balance of ball possession leans on the side of Milan, but the hosts occupy all the spaces well and risk very little. at 24′ Pioli loses Tomori due to injury (thigh problem) and is forced to insert kjaer. The challenge is balanced overall, but the greater density and compactness of Sarri’s men makes the difference and in the 38th minute the biancocelesti double: Dest is slipped on the right by Marusicwho shoots on goal and finds Tatarusanu’s deflection on the post, Zaccagni was the quickest to pounce on the ball and push it into the net.
The first thrill for the Olimpico comes only at the start of the second half and comes from one great free-kick from Bennacer which, slightly deviated from the barrier, passes a few centimeters from the intersection. In the 58th minute Pioli opts for the triple change that revolutionizes the attack: inside De Ketelaere, Saelemaekers and Origi for the impalpable Messias, Diaz and Giroud. Shortly after, however, the knockout blow arrives: on the lunge of Felipe Anderson the whole defense is clearly late, Kalulu knocks Pedro down in an attempt to anticipate him on the Brazilian’s cross and Di Bello indicates the penalty. Luis Alberto hits powerful and central, Tatarusanu can’t get there and it’s 3-0. Milan is already virtually in the locker room and fifteen minutes from the end there is also room for pokeron the umpteenth mess of Pioli’s defense: illuminating assist by Luis Albertoeasy conclusion of Felipe Anderson and closed case.
REPORT CARDS
Milinkovic-Savic 7,5 – Sarri pampered him in the conference after some criticism received in recent weeks, he repays with a performance of his own: dominant in the middle of the field, decisive in front of goal.
Felipe Anderson 7,5 – Advanced director, man of connection between the departments, assist man and also goalscorer in the final. With him in this condition, even without Immobile, Sarri can sleep peacefully.
Cataldo 7 – Less flashy than his two team mates, but essential to guarantee constant numerical superiority in the middle of the field and to sacrifice himself even in the defensive phase.
Giroud 5 – Touch very few balls, all too far from the goal. Bad evening for him and for all the Rossoneri offensive department.
Lion 5 – He tries some of his ideas, but never with the right conviction and is too lazy in defensive retreats. He urgently needs to find it as soon as possible.
Tone 6 – He and Bennacer are the only ones to put at least the grit and the rush to try to fix a complicated game from the first minutes. In midfield, however, Milan are always chasing and their effort is in vain.
THE TABLE
Lazio-Milan 4-0
Lazio (4-3-3): Provedel 6; Marusic 6.5 (33′ st Lazzari 6), Casale 6.5, Romagnoli 6.5, Hysaj 6.5; Milinkovic-Savic 7,5 (38′ st Basic sv), Cataldi 7 (42′ st Marcos Antonio sv), Luis Alberto 7,5; Pedro 7 (33′ st Romero 6), Felipe Anderson 7.5, Zaccagni 7.
Trainer: Sarri 8
Milan (4-2-3-1): Tatarusanu 5; Calabria 5.5, Kalulu 5, Tomori 5.5 (24′ Kjaer 5), Dest 5.5; Tonali 6, Bennacer 6; Messias 5 (13′ st Saelemaekers 5.5), Diaz 5 (13′ st De Ketelaere 5), Leao 5 (33′ st Rebic 6); Giroud 5 (13′ st Origi 5).
Trainer: Pegs 4.5
Referee: Beautiful
Markers: 4′ Milinkovic-Savic (L), 38′ Zaccagni (L), 22′ pen. Luis Alberto (L), 30’st Felipe Anderson (L)
Ammonite yourself: Bennacer (M), Milinkovic-Savic (L), Kjaer (M)
Expelled:
THE STATISTICS
– Mattia Zaccagni is the midfielder who has both scored and provided an assist in the same match the most times in the current top five European leagues (three)
– Lazio have kept clean sheets in 11 of the 19 matches played in this Serie A, equaling their record for clean sheets obtained at this point of the season in the top flight (11 in 1973/74, the season of the second Lazio championship).
– Milan have not conceded at least four goals without scoring in a Serie A match since Atalanta Milan 5-0 on 22 December 2019.
– Mattia Zaccagni has already provided four assists in this league, just one less than his record for game-winning passes in a single Serie A season (five game-winning passes in 2021/22, 2020/21 and 2019/20) .
– Mattia Zaccagni has scored in three consecutive Serie A games for the first time in his career.
– Milan is the 23rd team Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has scored against in Serie A. This is the Serbian midfielder’s fastest goal scored at home in the top flight (3′ 57”).
– Luis Alberto has already scored four goals in this Serie A, only one fewer than in the whole of last season in Serie A (five in 34 appearances).
– Lazio have racked up two wins in a row in Serie A for the first time since November 2022 (wins against Roma and Monza).
– Lazio have scored four goals on four occasions in this Serie A (v Milan, Cremonese, Spezia and Fiorentina), only Napoli have collected more matches by scoring at least four goals in this tournament (five).
– All four penalties scored by Luis Alberto in Serie A were signed at the Olimpico.
– Felipe Anderson has scored three goals in three consecutive games for the first time since January 2015.
– Mattia Zaccagni is the Italian player who has scored the most in this Serie A (eight).
– It was since October 2022 that Milan hadn’t lost an away game in Serie A (2-1 v Turin).
– Milan have conceded eight goals in their last three Serie A matches, as many as in their previous nine top-flight games.
– Lazio have not conceded a goal in the first half in 16 of their 19 Serie A games this season, better than any other team in this league.
– It was since November 2021 that Milan had not recorded three games without winning in the Italian top division (draw v Inter, defeats v Fiorentina and Sassuolo).
– Milan had not conceded two goals at half-time without scoring in two consecutive Serie A games since April 1997 (2-0 v Juventus and Inter, with Arrigo Sacchi on the bench).
– Milan have conceded three goals in the course of five minutes of play in this Serie A, already as many as they had conceded in this interval in all of last championship.
– 100th appearance of Ciprian Tatarusanu in Serie A.
