AC Milan are now fourth in Serie A, after beating Genoa 2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Monday thanks to goals from Suso and Fabio Borini.
No Gonzalo Higuain, no problem for the Rossoneri, as Borini broke the deadlock in the second half, and Suso sealed the victory for the Rossoneri with five minutes remaining.
Genoa started off the better side, piling up chances in the first half. Daniel Bessa went closest to scoring, but Gianluigi Donnarumma was ready to save the day for Gennaro Gattuso’s men.
The Rossoneri’s only opportunity in the first half came thanks to a beautiful Lucas Paqueta shot which smacked the post. The Brazilian marked his debut in Serie A in style.
It was the visitors though who came out stronger after the break. Paqueta continued to be a threat, and from one of his passes Borini went inches away from beating Andrei Radu.
Then, Borini himself fired home from close range on 70 minutes, making the most of a great Andrea Conti assist.
Genoa responded immediately with a stunning Miguel Veloso strike that came off the bar after a solid Donnarumma save.
But it was Suso who put the game to bed, with a right foot shot that gave Radu no chance and sealed the win for Milan, who climb up to fourth in the Serie A table.
WHO MISSED WHO MORE?
Neither Higuain nor Krzysztof Piatek played, for different reasons. Genoa produced several chances, and Piatek could have been more of a threat in the box, being a more deadly striker. On the other hand, Milan lacked quality going forward, and an in form Higuain would have definitely helped in the build up. Both sides could have done with their respective No.9s, although Milan showed they really need someone technical in the final third, despite finding the goals to win the game.
MILAN NEED PAQUETA AND CONTI
He started in the Coppa Italia against Sampdoria, then against Juventus in the Supercoppa, and then against Genoa. Many thought he wouldn’t be a regular for the Rossoneri initially, but Paqueta is proving to be a solid investment. A mobile midfielder who defends and can be dangerous, the post he hit came from a magnificent first time effort. He can be very useful for Milan, straight away. Andrea Conti was back on the right flank, and showed everyone what Milan missed for so long. Exquisite in delivering crosses going forward and careful at the back. What a right back has to do. The assist to break the deadlock was the icing on the cake. He won’t be at his best yet, but Milan can count on him for the rest of the season.
THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIGHT
Milan climb up to fourth with this win, a vital one, whilst the Rossoneri wait to add Piatek’s goals to their tally. Roma also won this round, as Lazio lost, making the battle for a top four finish as interesting as ever. The feeling is all three will fight until the very end, and every point lost could make a difference. Lazio and Roma know this, and they’ll have to deal with Milan now too.
