Ending the streak with a deserved victory: All the key stats from Inter-Milan

AC Milan won their second consecutive win of the Serie A season on Sunday night against Inter, and there are several positives to take from the game. 

The three fixtures after the international break were deemed decisive for Milan’s season and Paulo Fonseca’s future. After a win against Venezia and a humiliating defeat against Liverpool, the Inter game would be the chance to restart or proof of regression.

Goals from Christian Pulisic and Matteo Gabbia either side of a goal from Fede Dimarco were enough for the Rossoneri to win, but it could have been more, and the stats suggest the same, so let’s take a deeper look.

A deserved victory

Starting with the overall stats of the game, Inter had slightly more of the ball, but failed to do much with it due to the high-press executed by Milan, and a lot of credit must go to Fonseca here for the change in shape. Inter were limited to only 0.78 xG and one big chance, which is positive from a defensive perspective.

On the other hand, the Rossoneri made the most of their possesion, having 1.8 xG in the game. Therefore, them walking away from the game with three points is a fair result. However, it could have been more than a 2-1 victory, as the Diavolo made 6 (yes, SIX) big chances. We can, and will, take the positives here, but perhaps a conversation needs to be had about conversion.

Victory after two years

The recent history of the derby has not been kind to the Rossoneri, and before last night, they had lost the past six in a row, with everyone assuming they would make it a record-breaking seventh last night. Of course, this didn’t happen, though, and it is the first time in almost four years they opened the scoring, another nice stat.

It must be built upon, and the significance of the results cannot be understated. Beating the best Italian team provides a fantastic foundation, Milan must build upon it now, and Massimo Ambrosini suggested the Scudetto should be the aim now.

Captain America – Serie A leader

Pulisic’s goal extended his record of reliability for AC Milan, and it is his second huge goal in a week after scoring the early goal against Liverpool. With Rafael Leao struggling to regain his best form, the American winger has stepped up.

In fact, since joining he has the joint-most contributions in Serie A with 31 – 19 goals and 12 assists. The only player to match this feat is Lautaro Martinez, who has scored 27 times, assisting four times.