AC MILAN v FIORENTINA: THE DEBRIEFING

In front of a San Siro crowd that celebrated with Hernández and embraced Camarda, AC Milan beat Fiorentina to return to winning ways in the league. Through our Debriefing, we break down the 1-0 victory on matchday 13 and analyse the aspects that allowed the Rossoneri to come out on top.

SPIRIT AND UNITY, AN ADMIRABLE PERFORMANCE
It was so vital to get back to winning ways. The Rossoneri hadn't won since the start of October in Serie A, while a home victory had been missing since the end of September (Lazio). Against Fiorentina, Pioli's men picked up three precious points at a delicate moment, considering the aftermath of Lecce and the difficulties of managing the period immediately after the international break. But the team have worked hard and remained united, and they showed this out on the pitch. Before looking at the result, there’s a performance full of desire and sacrifice to be admired. The Rossoneri put together some good attacking moves, one of which led to the penalty that Hernández converted. Apropos Theo, it was great to see him return to the scoresheet, something which hadn't happened since the team's first home game of the campaign (Torino). The group's focus and application were repaid with a bit of luck as Maignan made a brilliant stoppage-time save, but, in general, the team didn't have to dig in too much and the clean sheet will only help to boost confidence.

REDUCED OPTIONS BUT A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION: THE TEAM'S ATTACK
With the team's attack down to the bare bones, Jović responded excellently. Luka is the first alternative to Giroud, who was suspended against the Viola and will also miss next weekend's game against Frosinone, and the Serbian striker produced his best display of the season. He's struggled somewhat early on this campaign, but was much livelier and more involved yesterday evening. He made many correct decisions, just like his pass that led to the winning goal. It's disappointing he wasn't able to find the net with a big chance in the second half, but he showed some encouraging signs and now needs to build on this performance. Pulisic and Chukwueze also put in a real shift, and then, of course, we have Francesco Camarda, who came on to make a history-making debut when Pioli needed him.  

FIRST-HALF GOALS AND POST-MATCH SITUATION
AC Milan (14) are the team who have scored the most first-half goals this league season. It's become a trend for the Rossoneri, who, however, have recently struggled after the opening 45 minutes. Indeed, they took a two-goal lead into half-time against both Napoli and Lecce, only to allow these sides to score and then draw level after the restart. This wasn't the case against the Viola, with the Rossoneri holding on to move further clear of fifth place (+6) and close the gap on Inter and Juventus before these two sides meet this evening. Learning from mistakes, correcting them and avoiding the kind of lapses for which a heavy price was paid at the Maradona and the Via del Mare: this is what Pioli's men managed to do at San Siro. They will have come out stronger from this match, which can only help them as they begin their preparations for a big Champions League encounter. The Diavolo must beat Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in order to move above them and become the masters of their own destiny, and the victory over the Viola will certainly have done no harm heading into the showdown against the Germans.

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