AC Milan sparked yet more life into a mediocre season with a hard-fought 2-1 home win over third-placed Lazio in Serie A on Sunday night.
Striker Patrick Cutrone headed home the opener in the 15th minute following Hakan Calhanoglu’s curling delivery into the penalty area from the angle but the away team levelled the match just moments later when Adam Marusic cut in from the right and sent a powerful drive past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
However, on the brink of half-time, Milan’s Italian midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura met Davide Calabria’s cross with a bullet header in what proved to be the winner.
Here, we look at three things we learned from the match.
GENERAL GATTUSO PROVING THE DIFFERENCE FOR MILAN
It would be hard not to be motivated by a man like Gattuso, especially if he was giving out the hairdryer treatment in the dressing room.
It’s been exactly two months since the famous midfield general took up the managerial reigns at his beloved club and thus far, the Milan hierarchy have got the reaction they were looking for from under-performing stars.
The Red and Blacks are now unbeaten in five matches under his tutelage, with four of those being victories.
LAZIO CAN’T BUY A WIN AT THE SAN SIRO
Amazingly, Milan are unbeaten against Lazio at home in Serie A since September 1989 – having now won 17 and drawn 11 of the past 28 matches.
Victory for the hosts under the lights on Sunday also ended the Biancocelesti’s eight-game unbeaten run, putting a spanner in the works so far as their title challenge goes.
It was a sweet victory for Milan, after they were thumped 4-0 in the corresponding fixture earlier on this season and denied Lazio the chance of a first Serie A league double over their rivals in 40 years.
SERIE A CLASH DRESS REHEARSAL FOR CUP
Interestingly, Sunday’s match-up acts as a pre curtain-raiser to this week’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg between the two sides, with the match again taking place at the San Siro.
Indeed, the pair are going to get to know each other pretty well over the course of the next month with the return tie happening on February 28.
