HELLAS VERONA v AC MILAN: THE DEBRIEFING

A convincing, deserved and important win, and a sixth consecutive positive result in all competitions: five wins in five matches in the month of March is an excellent way to enter the two-week league break. There are many good reasons to smile, but let's analyse in detail - through three discussion points - the Rossoneri's 3-1 victory in Verona.

THE MAGICAL WORLD OF PULISIC
Chris has scored in four consecutive matches (Slavia-Empoli-Slavia-Verona) and with the goal at Bentegodi he has achieved his best goalscoring tally (twelve goals) in his career, considering all competitions. He is often decisive, always in the thick of the action, linking up with his teammates and almost flawless in dribbling. If in the last two matches his goals had broken the deadlock, this time he scored the second goal after smacking an effort against the crossbar in the first half. When he plays like this, he makes all the difference in the world.

IMPACT FROM THE SUBS
Towards the end, after Noslin's goal had brought Hellas back into the game, Coach Pioli sent Musah, Giroud and Chukwueze onto the pitch. The former proved invaluable with tackles won, balls recovered and bursts forward in the middle of the park. His arrival gave balance and energy to the team, allowing the team to get beyond the Veronese pressure, which was thanks to Olivier's timely lay-offs, who was good at getting hold of the ball many times. The goal that put the game to bed came through Chukwu, the Nigerian's long-awaited and much-deserved first goal in Serie A. All three subs were important to seal the win in a game that could have seen several pitfalls at the end.

MIKE AND THE DEFENCE
In Prague, Maignan reacted well to Chytil's effort in the 14th minute; in Verona, he showed his metal late on from Świderski with the score at 3-1. They were important saves, probably standard for a goalkeeper of his quality, but still a big contribution nonetheless. The result at the Bentegodi was the same as the one at the Eden Aréna, but it came about differently. In both games, it was a sudden flash that broke the back of the Rossoneri net (Jurasék and Noslin), after two excellent defensive displays. Even against Hellas, the team conceded very little, proving solid in the face of an opponent who looked to keep things tight and then counter with pace.

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