El Milan domina: pasa a Udine y se olvida de la Liga Europa. Pulisic y Hutchinson firman el 2-0

AC Milan defeated Udinese 2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Saturday, securing a vital victory that moved the visitors into second place in the Serie A table. The result was achieved despite a significant number of absences for the Rossoneri, who relied on goals from Christian Pulisic and Omari Hutchinson to overcome the Friulian side. This win extends Milan’s unbeaten run and allows them to level with AS Roma on 18 points, while Inter and Lazio remain atop the league with 22 points each. For Udinese, the defeat marks their sixth consecutive loss in the competition, leaving them in the bottom half of the standings alongside Fiorentina and Parma, both of whom have four points. The match began with Milan adopting a 4-4-2 formation, a tactical choice made by head coach Ruben Amorim due to injury concerns. Amorim stated before kickoff that he would field a different lineup if his entire squad were available, highlighting the necessity of the change. The plan centered on the dynamism of Lorenzo Bartesaghi, who operated on the left flank, and the creativity of Luka Modric. The strategy proved effective almost immediately. In the sixth minute, following a foul committed near the center circle, Modric delivered a long free kick that split the defense. Pulisic controlled the ball inside the penalty area and finished past goalkeeper Maduka Okoye to give Milan a 1-0 lead. Udinese struggled to respond effectively in the opening period. Their best chance came in the tenth minute when Ibrahima Konate attempted a shot, which was saved by Mike Maignan. Milan continued to dominate possession and created several additional opportunities to extend their lead. In the 27th minute, defender Kristijan Vojvoda made a crucial intervention to prevent a goal from Fikayo Tomori. Later in the first half, a promising cross from Tomori, assisted by Modric, led to a chaotic sequence where Pulisic and Bartesaghi impeded one another, failing to convert the clear chance. The referee did not intervene via video assistant referee review regarding an incident involving Joao Palma and Pedro Alonso Ramos, although Palma was later booked for a physical challenge against a defender. The second half saw Milan maintain control, particularly through attacks down the left channel. Bartesaghi remained a persistent threat, driving forward repeatedly. In the 60th minute, his run resulted in an assist for Pulisic, whose effort was blocked by Okoye. Shortly after, Udinese manager Krunoslav Runjaic introduced Nicolò Zaniolo and Arizala to inject energy into the midfield. However, the momentum shifted decisively in Milan’s favor in the 65th minute. A long-range attempt by Chakvetadze was parried by Okoye, allowing Hutchinson to strike the rebound under the crossbar. It was Hutchinson’s first goal in Serie A, doubling Milan’s advantage to 2-0. As the game progressed, Milan looked for a third goal. In the 73rd minute, Pedro Alonso Ramos hit the crossbar after Okoye deflected his shot onto the woodwork. Ramos had another close opportunity in the 79th minute with a curling shot that went wide. Amorim brought in Carney Chukwuemeka and Ismael Bennacer late in the match to manage the final minutes. Chukwuemeka tested Okoye twice in the closing stages, once being denied by the keeper and once by a last-ditch block from Palma in the 90th minute. Three minutes of added time passed without further changes to the scoreline. Modric played the full ninety minutes and received a yellow card in the dying moments of the match. The performance was viewed as a strong response to Milan’s recent disappointment in European competition, where they suffered a setback against Bournemouth. The team demonstrated verticality and rational play, creating numerous high-quality chances throughout the match. In other matches from the eighth round of Serie A, Juventus defeated Lecce 2-0 away from home. Weston McKennie scored in the 29th minute and Douglas Luiz in the 41st for the winners. Lecce finished the game with ten men after Kirollos Gaspar received two yellow cards. Atalanta drew 4-4 with Frosinone in a high-scoring affair. Goals for Atalanta were scored by Nikola Krstovic in the 14th and 45th minutes, Ederson from a penalty in the 33rd, and Elif Elmas in the 50th. Frosinone’s scorers included Romano Schmid in the 1st and 17th minutes, Giacomo Calo in the 48th, and Aleksa Terzic in the 82nd. Mario Pasalic entered the game for Atalanta in the 62nd minute. Genoa beat Venezia 1-0 thanks to a goal by Mikkel Eskildsen in the 25th minute. Earlier in the schedule, Inter Milan secured a 2-1 comeback victory against Fiorentina. Luciano Acosta equalized in stoppage time after leading earlier, and Piotr Zielinski converted a penalty in the 97th minute to seal the win for Inter. Looking ahead, Milan will host Bologna at San Siro on Wednesday night. Udinese will travel to face Parma during the same midweek fixture list. The league table currently sees Inter and Lazio sharing the top spot, followed by Milan and Roma. The consistency displayed by Milan in this match suggests they are maintaining pressure on the leaders despite their squad limitations.