Milan bossed the first half against Atalanta, heading in two goals to the good at the San Siro on Sunday evening in the seventh round of the Italian league.
Portugal's Goncalo Ramos and France's Adrien Rabiot stole the spotlight. Ramos opened the scoring from the penalty spot, Rabiot added the second with a superb strike, and the Rossoneri went into the break sitting comfortably.
The spot kick arrived in the 23rd minute. Musah set off from midfield and struck the ball, only for substitute Obric to intervene with his hand. The referee consulted the video assistant referee (VAR) and pointed to the spot.
Goncalo Ramos made no mistake a minute later, planting his right foot through the ball and beating Atalanta goalkeeper Carnesecchi to put the hosts ahead.
Two minutes before the interval, the lead doubled. Moreira fed Rabiot, who drifted intelligently between the lines, beat his man and lashed a right-footed shot into the net at the near post. The goalkeeper had no answer.
Atalanta, by contrast, kept making the same old mistakes at the back. That's five matches in a row now without a clean sheet.
The scoreline wasn't the only place Milan held sway. The numbers backed it up, with the Rossoneri having five shots to Atalanta's three. The hosts hit the target twice. The visitors couldn't force a single effort between the posts and under the bar.
Expected goals told the same story: 1.01 for Milan, a measly 0.12 for Atalanta across the opening 45 minutes. Gian Piero Gasperini's side enjoyed 61% of the ball to Milan's 39%, yet all that possession produced nothing that genuinely troubled the Rossoneri goal.