Amorim: Milan are improving despite a tough second half against Atalanta

Ruben Amorim said the difficulties his side faced in the second half of their 3-2 win over Atalanta do not change the fact that they are improving in every area.

Milan extended their unbeaten start to the Serie A season to seven matches at San Siro, but the Rossoneri survived a major scare in the closing stages as Atalanta came close to a historic comeback.

Gonçalo Ramos put Milan ahead from the penalty spot in the 24th minute, and the in-form Adrien Rabiot doubled the lead just before the break to put them firmly in control.

Marco Carnesecchi produced a superb save to deny Ramos a second penalty, but from the corner that followed moments later, Mario Gila headed home to give Milan further breathing room.

Substitute Gianluca Gaetano made it 3-1 seven minutes after coming on, and Nikola Krstovic's strike in the 81st minute set up a breathless finale.

Milan nevertheless held on to claim all three points, going unbeaten through their first seven Serie A matches (W6 D1) for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

The win also ended Milan's six-match winless run against Atalanta in the league, and while head coach Amorim admitted the second-half performance was far from ideal, he believes his players are gradually adapting to his tactics.

"Of course the most important thing is the result, but we also have to analyse the performance," Amorim said after the match. "After the Sassuolo game I said we were improving as a team; what happened in the final minutes doesn't change that, it just shows us clearly that we need to work harder. The rhythm of the game changed completely; before Atalanta's goal we were in control and closer to a fourth goal than to conceding. But some poor decisions, especially when building from the back, gave them chances, and we have to improve that."

The result made Amorim (W4 D3) only the third coach in Serie A history to go unbeaten in his first seven matches in charge of Milan, after Hector Puricelli (W3 D4) in 1955 and Luis Carniglia (W4 D3) in 1963.

Rabiot, a key figure in Milan's strong start, has contributed to a goal in four consecutive games for the first time in his career in Europe's top five leagues. The last midfielder to do so for Milan in Serie A was Hakan Çalhanoğlu in December 2020.

Speaking after the game, Rabiot said he was angry with Milan's second-half display and that he expected more from the players who came off the bench.

Asked about Rabiot's comments, Amorim said: "Rabiot is a really important player for us. We spoke to him after half-time. He is an experienced player and he knows that, being on a yellow card, he can't stop every situation. He took on such a crucial role on the pitch that I couldn't take him off, but if I had felt another foul would lead to a card, I would have replaced him. I didn't feel that was the case today."