David de Gea the hero as Fiorentina edge past AC Milan in thriller
Fiorentina’s run of one defeat in their previous 11 home SA matches - albeit with that loss coming against the Rossoneri in March - suggested it would be a tough night at the office for Milan. And so it proved to be, as Fiorentina caused plenty of problems in an action-packed first half.
After a slow opening quarter-hour, the game burst into life when La Viola were awarded a penalty after Theo Hernandez was adjudged to have fouled Dodo in the box, but Moise Kean - back in the Italy squad after a strong start to the campaign - saw his attempt from 12 yards saved by Mike Maignan.
With just two wins in all competitions this term prior to kick-off, Fiorentina could have crumbled after that setback, but they soon had the goal their endeavour deserved. Ironically, it was on-loan Milan midfielder Yacine Adli who broke the deadlock, curling home from inside the box via the post.
In response, Milan pushed forward in search of an equaliser and were presented with a fantastic opportunity to draw level on the stroke of half-time when Luca Ranieri tripped Tijjani Reijnders in the area. However, much like at the other end, the goalkeeper came out on top as David De Gea tipped Hernández’s spot-kick around the post.
The excitement carried over into the second period, and before long, referee Luca Pairetto was pointing to the spot for a third time of the match when star/villain of the show Kean was beaten to a ball by Matteo Gabbia. Following Hernández’s previous miss, Tammy Abraham was given the responsibility, but that didn’t change the outcome as De Gea produced another stunning stop.
Some may have wondered why Christian Pulisic did not step up given his recent goalscoring run of five goals in eight matches, and the USA international soon made another telling contribution.
Hernández’s ball to the back post was begging for someone to get on the end of it, and Pulisic duly obliged, directing a first-time volley back across De Gea and into the corner. This was a game you could not take your eyes off, and before long there was another key moment to take in. A long ball from De Gea was brought down by Kean for Albert Gudmundsson to drive low into the corner from outside the box.
Milan immediately pushed for an equaliser, and Samuel Chukwueze forced a brilliant save out of the imperious De Gea with time running out. However, they were unable to recover a second time as Fiorentina held on, with Kean even hitting the bar in the closing stages.
This result ended a run of three Serie A wins in a row for the Rossoneri, while their opponents move up to 11th as a result, but all of that is somewhat secondary after an unforgettable match in Florence.
Flashscore Man of the Match: David De Gea (Fiorentina)
