AC Milan battled back to secure a point in the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday after a 1-1 draw with rivals Inter.
The Rossoneri fell behind early on through Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty in what was a bitter blow given his previous ties with us, but it wasn’t long before we responded as an own-goal drew us level shortly after.
READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Inter: Tomori, Tonali impress in battling draw
Both sides had chances, including a penalty for the Nerazzurri which was saved by Ciprian Tatarusanu, while Alexis Saelemaekers saw his effort crash off the post late on. As neither side were able to find another goal, we were forced to settle for a share of the spoils in what was a highly entertaining showdown between the two Milan sides.
Crucial reaction shows character of this Milan side
In years gone by, conceding an early goal in such a big game would have shaken us and led to a mini in-game collapse.
However, such is the strength of character and resolve in this current team, we responded well and got our goal soon after to recompose ourselves despite shooting ourselves in the foot by giving away penalties.
We remain unbeaten after 12 games in Serie A and joint-top of the standings. The mental strength and determination of Stefano Pioli’s men is a crucial attribute which will hopefully lead to success.
Tonali shining light in midfield again
It seems as though every time he’s selected, he produces a top performance.
Tonali was relentless in his pressuring and pressing as well as his desire to get stuck into the midfield battle and physically impose himself on Inter.
He was a pivotal reason behind why we were competitive in this game, and he continues to improve and mature with every outing.
Rebic return a big boost
While results would suggest that we haven’t exactly missed him, getting Ante Rebic back from injury is a major positive for Pioli.
The Croatian international is an important option in the attacking phase, as aside from his work ethic and technical quality, he is also more than capable of producing a moment of magic.
We didn’t quite see all of that on Sunday night, but as we look to sustain our impressive start to the campaign, he will play an important role in giving us a real goalscoring and creative threat in the final third.
Tomori-Kjaer excellent
While Alessio Romagnoli has done well when stepping in too, this defensive partnership between Fikayo Tomori and Simon Kjaer is becoming the bedrock of our success this season.
The pair combine really well given their respective attributes and strengths, as well as their weaknesses as they cover one another at times too.
Milan have conceded 11 goals in our opening 12 league games, giving us the second best defensive record in the top flight, and this duo has been integral in that.
Milan continue to set pace
Milan have now collected 32 points from the first 12 games of the season, have the second best attack and second best defence, while we’ve already played Juventus, Inter, Lazio, Roma and Atalanta and are still unbeaten.
It’s been a hugely impressive start to the campaign and while we’ve won nothing yet, it’s something we can reflect on over the International break and build upon.
Pioli has done an exceptional job in turning this side into a well-oiled machine that gets results regardless of the opposition and circumstances as we’ve been missing key players all year thus far. It’s hoped that habit can continue between now and May.