It was supposed to be the turning-point match, but instead, it became the one that effectively ended Milan's Scudetto dreams.
The Rossoneri are now 12 points behind the league leaders, currently Atalanta (awaiting Napoli, who, if they beat Lazio, would extend their lead over the Rossoneri to 13 points, with the Rossoneri still having a game in hand).
The disappointment within the Rossoneri camp is severe, but the responsibility cannot be ignored.
A disastrous defeat for Milan against Atalanta
This is what Corriere della Sera wrote this morning, explaining that the Rossoneri team settled too quickly for the draw, which ultimately led to a bad defeat. Both of Atalanta's goals came from set pieces, highlighting a lack of focus and attention.
Milan's approach and first-half performance were solid, but the curtain came down when Pulisic was forced off due to injury in the 38th minute. From that moment, the Rossoneri stopped playing. They were already savoring the draw, but in the 87th minute, Lookman’s goal stunned the visitors and their coach, Paulo Fonseca, as well.
Milan boss, Paulo Fonseca, was furious.
After the match, The Portuguese coach was furious with referee La Penna and unleashed some strong words:
"It’s tough when the game ends and you’ve conceded two goals from set pieces," he told Sky Sport Italia. "I also want to say that I’ve kept quiet and never spoken about refereeing: everyone talks about it, and they’re right. The first goal was a foul, clearly. There’s no doubt. The way the referee handled the match, against the Rossoneri, there’s no question—and it’s not just today. I know referees have a difficult job. I’m just pointing out what happened. It’s always the same against us; there’s no respect for the club at the moment. I’m not afraid to speak the truth, like today. I’ve always respected the referees’ work, but there are so many mistakes, week after week, always against the same team. The way the referee officiated today shows a lack of respect for Milan."
