AC Milan 0-0 Inter Milan: 5 Talking Points

The 221st Derby Della Madonnina between AC Milan and Inter Milan finished at a stalemate. The Nerazzurri celebrated going in front in the 38th minute through Mauro Icardi but the goal was ruled out courtesy of a VAR review, as the Inter captain was clearly offside, keeping the game tied at the break.

It was a close second half and Icardi had the best opportunity of the game ten minutes in but he squandered his chance miserably as he missed an open goal. Later, it was Patrick Cutrone who scored off an incredible overhead kick but was, unfortunately, denied since he was offside by a significant margin.

A last minute open goal was failed to be converted by the Argentinian, Icardi as both the teams shared the spoils in the final Milan Derby of the 2017-18 season.

Here are the key talking points from the game:

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#5 VAR makes its presence known

VAR made an important call in the outcome of the game

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology made an unlikely appearance in the Milan derby. It was in the 38th minute when Inter Milan broke through on goal with Mauro Icardi from an Antonio Candreva pass and the Argentinian had no problem in putting the ball through Gianluigi Donnaruma to give Inter the lead.

The players and fans were celebrating going in front but the celebrations were cut short when the on-field referee was seen communicating with the officials from the replay center. After the information was received, the referee disallowed the goal and ruled it as offside.

Having a look at the VAR review provided justification to the viewers as Icardi was offside by just half a yard when the ball was played in.The VAR has come under major criticism this season, especially in England when it has been used for the cup competitions.

However, this time the technology proved to be successful as any post-match controversy was going to be avoided since the goal was ruled out. The technology is still new and in its developing stages in Europe specifically due to a lack of conclusiveness and accuracy in decisions.

#4 A busy evening for the Goalkeepers

Handanovic made an excellent save in the first half

It was a busy night for both the goalkeepers as they faced a total of 27 attempts between them on their goal throughout the game. Despite, only five of them being on target, it was not going to be an easy night for either goalkeeper with the attacking threat that their opponents possessed.

Firstly, it was Internazionale goalkeeper Samir Handanovic who was called into action. A swinging Hakan Calhanoglu free-kick was met by the head of Leonardo Bonucci and the Slovenian went down on his feet immediately to make an excellent one-handed save in the first 20 minutes of the first half.

Later, it was AC Milan's teenage sensation Gianluigi Donnaruma who made a vital interception of Ivan Perisic's cross from the left wing to deny an incoming Mauro Icardi from tapping the ball into the back of the net. Other than

It was a tight affair and the game hinged towards only good chance for either team to break the deadlock and grab the three points but poor finishing from the players of either team meant that both clubs left with a point each and a clean sheet.

5 - Inter have kept the clean sheet in five Serie A consecutive matches for the first time since August 2005. Wall. #MilanInter

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 4, 2018

#3 Milan defense keeps Inter attack quiet

Bonucci mentored his defense superbly

The AC Milan defense was well prepared for the challenge they were going to face from the Inter Milan attack. The defenders and goalkeeper were in coordination and were communicating with each other in keeping everything tight at the back.

The center back duo of Leonardo Bonucci and Alessio Romagnoli made a total of 11 clearances. On the hand, Bonucci also made two important blocks to keep the scoreline level and Inter at bay.

The full-backs Davide Calabria and Ricardo Rodriguez also played their part defensively as they both made a combined nine successful tackles and seven clearances. Meanwhile, Romagnoli had a pass accuracy of 95% and played in seven successful long balls.

The excellent defensive organization of the Rossoneri meant that Icardi had no shots on target in the entire game whereas Calabria and Rodriguez provided excellent cover against Perisic and Antonio Candreva as the duo were able to notch up a total of only one successful cross and two key passes between them.

#2 A game of Half Chances

Cutrone had his goal disallowed

It was an end to end, Milan Derby, as there was not much to separate between the two teams. Both the sides created an equal number of chances, but they were more like half chances as multiple shots were going away from the goal and the follow-up chances were also going to waste.

There was an attacking threat provided by either team but this did not result in any end product as poor finishing led to the game being a goalless draw. Statistically, AC Milan and Inter were neck to neck in possession and pass completion rate.

The Rossoneri had great opportunities to take the lead but losing the ball in the final third of the pitch resultedthe ball was played in.The VAR has come under major criticism this season, especially in England when it has been used for the cup competitions.However, this time the technolog in the attack being broken and having to restart again. Gennaro Gattuso's side were dispossessed a total of eight times in the Derby.

Similarly, only 20% of the shots were on target and it was proving to be a cagey affair. Milan forward Patrick Cutrone scored a spectacular goal off a bicycle kick but was flagged offside, just like Mauro Icardi's goal in the first half.

The way the game had panned out till the 75th minute, the Milan Derby was going to be decided by a margin of one goal. The final chance of the game fell to Icardi, but he missed an open chance resulting in the game finishing at 0-0.

The Derby della Madonnina has ended goalless in Serie A for the first time since April 2015.Big chances missed. pic.twitter.com/9oyF8V83pI

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 4, 2018

#1 Icardi blunders cost Internazionale

Icardi proved to be the villain for the Nerazzurri

All eyes were once again on Mauro Icardi as Inter Milan looked to drift away from chasing Lazio for the final Champions League spot on the Serie A table. However, the Argentinian once again failed to deliver in a big game against a big team this season.

There are no excuses for the opportunities Icardi squandered as he missed two golden chances costing his team three points. First, it was from an Antonio Candreva cross from the right wing which fell right into his feet but he fluffed it as the ball went off the back of his right foot, missing a wide-open goal ten minutes into the second half.

The Inter skipper had a chance to redeem himself in the final minute of the game when Joao Cancelo played the ball into the far post which found the 25-year-old but he could not capitalize on his sliding effort, putting the ball wide and once again missing an open goal.

It was a nightmare of a game for the center forward as he failed to have even a single shot on target and was flagged offside twice, with one his first goal being disallowed courtesy of VAR.