Fiorentina fought beat Milan 2-1 as David De Gea saved two penalties with Yacine Adli and Albert Gudmundsson scoring the goals, despite a stunning Christian Pulisic volley.
The Rossoneri had won three Serie A games in a row, but lost 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen midweek in the Champions League. Alvaro Morata returned to the starting XI, though Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Luka Jovic, David Calabria, Ismael Bennacer, Marco Sportiello and Alessandro Florenzi didn’t make the trip. The Viola opened their Conference League campaign on Thursday against The New Saints, but lost Rolando Mandragora to a knee injury, so Yacine Adli faced his parent club. That was only their second victory in nine competitive games under Raffaele Palladino.
See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.
Morata’s glancing header turned an Emerson Royal cross just wide, but Fiorentina received a penalty when birthday boy Theo Hernandez mistimed his clearance and kicked Dodo’s boot. Moise Kean stepped up rather than Albert Gudmundsson and saw his central attempt smothered by Mike Maignan.
Mike Maignan denies Fiorentina the opener ❌
He saves Moise Kean’s penalty 🧤
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/NHtPaeybQ7
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 6, 2024
Kean then got himself in the way of a Danilo Cataldi strike and was offside when turning in the rebound, while Rafael Leao’s strike was deflected over by Pietro Comuzzo.
Fiorentina did take the lead with a player owned by Milan, as Adli gathered from a throw-in, spun Christian Pulisic and bent a right-foot snooker shot in off the inside of the far post. He refused to celebrate against his old club.
Of course, it had to be Yacine Adli 🤷♂️
He nets a stunning goal against his former club, Milan 💥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/5dIOIMKr5X
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 6, 2024
Milan were also awarded a spot-kick when Tijjani Reijnders tripped over Luca Ranieri as he ran onto the Pulisic through ball. However, Theo Hernandez also saw his penalty saved, this time De Gea getting right down into the bottom corner for the one-handed save. Not since January 2022 had two penalties been saved by two different goalkeepers in the same Serie A match, then it was Cagliari-Fiorentina.
MASSIVE SAVE BY DAVID DE GEA! 💥
The Spaniard keeps Fiorentina ahead, proving he’s still got those clutch moments ✨
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/XlFQl8ilmg
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 6, 2024
Kean had the ball in the net straight after the restart, but was clearly offside running onto a ball over the top.
The referee pointed to the spot again on a corner when Matteo Gabbia anticipated Kean to the bouncing ball and had his foot kicked instead. Tammy Abraham decided to take it this time, but De Gea managed another incredible save at the near bottom corner. Not since Federico Marchetti in Carpi-Lazio in May 2016 had a goalkeeper saved two penalties in the same Serie A match.
Milan did equalise four minutes later from open play, as Theo Hernandez’s cross found Pulisic at the back post for an extraordinary right-foot volley, hooking it back across the face of goal and into the far top corner.
The technique on the finish from Christian Pulisic 🤯
Equalising in STYLE ✨
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/c1yXdW7S4j
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 6, 2024
Kean tried to replicate that move on the Robin Gosens cross, but got it wrong and turned over the bar when he had time to control it.
Ranieri had to time his sliding tackle absolutely perfectly to stop Pulisic scoring from a Rafael Leao through ball, and he did, while De Gea stuck out a boot to parry Abraham’s angled drive.
Fiorentina restored their advantage when Kean knocked down a long De Gea ball over the top, as Gudmundsson controlled with his left foot, let it bounce and smashed in with the right from just inside the area.
Fiorentina back in front!
Albert Guðmundsson smashes the ball past Mike Maignan 💥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/EW0EfrEhEm
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 6, 2024
It remained fiery and wide open, Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino sent off for dissent and De Gea managing a desperate one-armed save on the Samuel Chukwueze strike that bounced right in front of him.
Abraham was also denied by a desperate Ranieri block in the box on the Noah Okafor pull-back, but in stoppages Kean’s screamer from the D smashed against the underside of the bar and bounced back out.
Losing when missing a penalty on his birthday proved too much for Theo Hernandez, who was sent off for insulting the referee after the final whistle.
Fiorentina 2-1 Milan
Adli 35 (F), Pulisic 60 (M), Gudmundsson 73 (F)
Saved penalty: Kean 22 (F), Theo Hernandez 45 (M), Abraham 56 (M)
Sent off: Theo Hernandez 96 (M)
Player statistic
| Dodô |  |
8' | ||
| Moise Kean |  |
22' | ||
| 24' | |
Fikayo Tomori | ||
| Yacine Adli (Assist: Robin Gosens) |
 |
35' | ||
| 43' | |
Álvaro Morata | ||
| 45+1' | |
Theo Hernández |
| 56' | |
Tammy Abraham | ||
| 60' | |
Christian Pulisic (Assist: Theo Hernández) | ||
| 72' | |
Tijjani Reijnders | ||
| Albert Gudmundsson (Assist: Moise Kean) |
|
73' | ||
| Edoardo Bove | |
90+5' |
Match statistic
Dummy tottenham, FIKyou tomorilakaka, dutch reindeer, Yusuf buffoona – of these misfits don’t deserve to be anywhere near the Milan shirt. Disgrace to Milan and the club’s entire history. not to mention Fonseca the Portuguese tart.
bunch of gutless and spineless mercenaries.