AC Milan 2-3 Inter Milan: Hits and Flops | Serie A 2018-19

Inter Milan did the league double over crosstown rivals AC Milan for the first time since 2012 after an entertaining 3-2 win at the San Siro.

Matias Vecino broke the deadlock as early as the third minute before Stefan De Virj doubled the cushion shortly after the match reconvened. Bakayoko then halved the deficit with a similarly headed strike but Martinez put the tie beyond Milan's reach with a penalty midway through the second stanza.

Unlike most of the recent Milan derbies, this one turned out to be an end-to-end contest with chances flying in at either end. Musacchio then reduced the gap to just a single goal again to round off an enthralling goal-fest.

Inter's victory propels them back to third with 53 points from 28 games as the Rossoneri's are condemned to fourth again.

Here are the hits and flops from the Derby.

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Hit: Lautaro Martinez

Martinez rose to the occasion

With Mauro Icardi banished mercilessly to a footballing cornfield, the Nerazzurri's needed someone to step up to the plate and cement the void. Enter Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine, despite a promising pre-season tour, was kept waiting in the wings but now seems liberated on been given a chance.

He started as the centre-forward again and turned in an incredible performance with a goal and an assist to his name: Martinez intelligently nodded Ivan Perisic's long ball into the path of Vecino who did the rest, before converting from the spot in the second half to all but seal the victory.

The 21-year old youngster proved to be an immense attacking presence, harrying his markers for the ball and wreaking havoc with his movements. He also laid two key passes on the night; completed a dribble too. Besides, Martinez wasn't dispossessed even once, a testament to his might on the ball.

His only downside was poor passing as he misplaced a few in some good areas and had only 64% pass success overall.

Flop: Krzysztof Piatek

Piatek's night is pretty much summed up in this picture

The Polish international, signed from Genoa in January, had whipped up a frenzy in San Siro following a barnstorming start to life at Milan: seven goals in his first five appearances in all competitions, including an incredible brace to dump Napoli from the Coppa Italia.

Naturally, the bookies would've expected him to plunder a goal or two in his first Milan derby, but far from scoring, Piatek was virtually non-existent.

In what's rightfully his poorest outing with the Rossoneri to date, the Pole was completely phased out by a vigilante Inter defense and also starved of service. He made only 17 touches on the ball - the lowest among any player on the pitch and the only effort he could muster at goal blew harmlessly off target.

Piatek's indecisiveness forced Milan to look for goals elsewhere as scoring from open play became a hard task. His only positive of the night is a key pass, but that's trifling when you consider the bigger picture.

Hit: Tiemoue Bakayoko

Bakayoko rolled back the calendar with a spirited display

If you'd make a list of the most improved players this season, then Milan's Bakayoko would rank highly in it. The Frenchman has successfully pulled his otherwise fading career back on track this term and was a force to be reckoned with in the midfield tonight.

His ball control and eye for a pass were delightful as Bakayoko ran the show in the midfield. He reignited Milan's chance of getting something in the game by heading home Hakan Calhanoglu's delivery for his first goal of the campaign.

Bakayoko's pace and lung-bursting runs proved menacing to deal with, completing three dribbles and 88% of his passes on the night. When required, he tracked back to provide an extra protective cover for the backline, thwarting Inter's forward attempts to clearing the lines. He made three tackles and interceptions each.

If only he could cap his stellar night with a win, but Bakayoko has made a statement. The Frenchman was written by many following his disastrous spell at Chelsea, though now it looks like he's rediscovering the form which made him a star at Monaco.

Flop: Ricardo Rodriguez

Rodriguez was woefully out of sorts

The Swiss international may not hog the limelight normally, but has proved to be a great addition for Milan since his move in 2017 from Wolfsburg. He has continued the rich vein of form this season too, scoring once and assisting five times, but things just didn't come together for Rodriguez in the derby tonight.

His great passing accuracy aside, Rodriguez came up woefully short in the defense. His penchant to drive ahead tend to leave spaces for Inter to exploit and was also dispossessed once. Rodriguez was lacking in his usual composure as he went into the books for a nasty sliding challenge on Politano early on in the match.

The cautioning seemed to hinder him from making any further tackles or challenges as Rodriguez looked restraint and didn't quite compete for the ball. His normal forays forward too yielded nothing of note as Milan missed his creativity from the left flank. Rodriguez would want to get this night behind him as soon as possible.