Milan have steadied themselves after a turbulent week, and the 2-0 victory at Udinese on Sunday was exactly the response Ruben Amorim needed. Christian Pulisic struck inside six minutes and Omari Hutchinson added a second-half finish to lift the club to fourth in Serie A, level on 18 points with Roma. The win mattered not just for the result but for what it said about the squad's depth.

The context made it all the more impressive. Amorim went into the Bluenergy Stadium without Adrien Rabiot, Mario Gila and Diego Moreira, all ruled out in the 24 hours before kick-off, joining the already absent Samuel Chukwueze and Alexis Saelemaekers. Teenager Sankhoun Diawara made his Serie A debut at left back, Fikayo Tomori started in the league for the first time this season, and Luca Bartesaghi operated as a wide midfielder. Each of them delivered, giving Amorim genuine selection questions to consider going forward.

The week had begun badly. The 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth in the Europa League, shaped by Mike Maignan's red card before the half-hour, drew criticism from the manager and prompted owner Gerry Cardinale to travel to Udine in person. Maignan publicly apologised for the dismissal and returned between the posts at Udinese with the club's backing.

Attention now turns to Wednesday's home fixture against Bologna at San Siro, with the derby against Inter to follow on 31 October. Gonçalo Ramos, back from injury, is available to lead the attack.