AC Milan 1-3 Juventus: 5 hits and flops as Rossoneri's unbeaten league run ends | Serie A 2020-21

AC Milan's unbeaten start to the season finally came to an end on Wednesday
AC Milan's unbeaten start to the season finally came to an end on Wednesday

AC Milan's unbeaten run in Serie A ended after Juventus beat the runaway leaders 3-1 at the San Siro on Wednesday.

A Federico Chiesa brace and a goal from substitute Weston McKennie got the job done for the reigning champions.

In the absence of many first-team players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, due to injuries and COVID-19 issues, the Rossoneri were significantly weakened during this fixture.

They struggled for possession and missed a couple of good chances during the opening half. Even though Davide Calabria equalised with a stunner just before the break, it was reduced to a mere footnote.

Stefano Piolo's men remain at the top of the standings despite the loss. However, they would be disappointed for failing to capitalise on Inter Milan's own defeat earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Juventus climb up to fourth place, with a game in hand.

Here are the hits and flops from the match:

Hit: Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus)

Wojciech Szczesny bailed Juventus out on multiple occasions in the game
Wojciech Szczesny bailed Juventus out on multiple occasions in the game

Wojciech Szczesny pulled off incredible stops to deny AC Milan throughout the game as he arguably turned in his best performance of the season thus far.

Most of his saves came during an open first half, where he denied Samuel Castillejo from close range and saved Leonardo Bonucci the blushes of an own goal.

Even though the second half was a bit more relaxed, he was always on his toes and parried some long-range efforts from Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Polish custodian finished with eight saves on the night, the most he's managed in a single game for Juventus in 115 appearances!

Flop: Samuel Castillejo (AC Milan)

Samuel Castillejo was well below his best against Juventus
Samuel Castillejo was well below his best against Juventus

We could've gone with any player from AC Milan's attacking vanguard as almost all of them disappointed in one way or another. However, Samuel Castillejo gets the unwanted spot here as he was the weakest link in their attack.

The 25-year-old spurned a great chance during the early stages of the match. He, however, misplaced his shot after barging into the penalty area.

Matthijs de Ligt and Gianluca Frabotta did well to keep him in check. The former Villarreal forward was effectively taken out of the game and failed to muster a single shot after that initial effort.

Hit: Paulo Dybala (Juventus)

Paulo Dybala sprung back to life with a talismanic performance for Juventus
Paulo Dybala sprung back to life with a talismanic performance for Juventus

A player who's been regularly lampooned for below-par performances, Juventus' Paulo Dybala turned the tables with a rejuvenated showing that's sure to silence his critics.

Energetic, industrious and visionary, the Argentine was everything he used to be during his early days in Turin. He even upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo, who had a relatively quiet game in front of goal.

His link-up play with Chiesa tore AC Milan asunder at the back, while his backheel assist for the latter's opening goal was a thing of beauty. He even provided another assist for Chiesa after the break.

It's been a long time since he made two assists in a single game and even longer since he put up a performance like this one.

Flop: Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan)

Alessio Romagnoli came a cropper at the back for AC Milan
Alessio Romagnoli came a cropper at the back for AC Milan

AC Milan's defence was all over the place. However, one particular weak link that emerged in the back four was Alessio Romagnoli, who was caught out of position on numerous occasions.

The 25-year-old left plenty of gaps at the back for Chiesa to exploit, while Dejan Kulusevski made a mockery of him by expertly evading the Italian defender in the build-up to McKennie's goal.

As if he hadn't had enough, Romagnoli then went into the books late in the match for a rash challenge on Ronaldo, catching the Portuguese ace with an ill-timed tackle.

Hit: Federico Chiesa (Juventus)

Federico Chiesa put AC Milan to the sword
Federico Chiesa put AC Milan to the sword

Federico Chiesa put in an incredible performance and was undoubtedly the man of the match.

The 23-year-old oozed confidence like never before and almost single-handedly took AC Milan to the cleaners with his scorching pace and intelligent movements. He scored not once but twice to put Juventus ahead.

Signed from Fiorentina in the summer, the Italy international has seldom disappointed, but this was his best performance in Juventus colours so far.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh
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