As Scudetto champions and with a change in the ownership - from Elliott to Redbird - the reigning Italian champions began their season with four victories (including a spectacular derby against Inter) and two draws in their opening six games. The defeat to Napoli on 18 September was AC Milan's first loss in the league in more than 9 months, but the Rossoneri reacted brilliantly, with four consecutive victories. A strange season, with the World Cup in the middle, meant the Rossoneri went into the winter break in second place, eight points short of the marauding Napoli. The 2022/23 season resumed well with a good win against Salernitana; however, that would be the only victory in a difficult January. The most difficult time in the Pioli era arrived as the Rossoneri picked up just two points in four league games and were also defeated in the Supercoppa and Coppa Italia. The reaction came in February, after a derby loss to Inter. AC Milan switched to a three-man defence and were revitalised, also thanks to the discovery of the talented Malick Thiaw. March was slightly patchy, while April was much more satisfying. It all began on 2 April, the first of three matches against Spalletti's Napoli, who were well on their way to a deserved Scudetto. The Serie A matchup ended 4-0 to the Rossoneri on a night illuminated by Rafa Leão. L'Europa toglie energie preziose a un gruppo che però, con tre vittorie consecutive, chiude il campionato al quarto posto confermandosi in Champions League per la terza stagione di fila.
It was a positive campaign in the Champions League: despite two defeats to Chelsea, Pioli's Rossoneri finished the group stage on 10 points, sealing a spot in the round of 16 with two 4-0 results, away to Dinamo Zagreb and against Salzburg at San Siro. There, they were faced with Antonio Conte's Tottenham, and it was Brahim Díaz's lone goal in the first leg that sent the Rossoneri through with pride at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In the quarter-finals, it was an Italian derby against Napoli that followed the league clash between the sides. With a 1-0 win in the first leg thanks to Bennacer and the 1-1 draw in Campania, we beat the Partenopei to go through to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 16 years. The memorable campaign ended with two defeats to Inter.
