Charles De Ketelaere provided an assist on his full Milan debut, as Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud swept past Bologna at San Siro.
The Rossoneri needed to get back on track after a 1-1 draw away to Atalanta, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rade Krunic long-term absentees, but had Olivier Giroud back to full fitness and gave Charles De Ketelaere his first start. Bologna had Riccardo Orsolini suspended and Mitchell Dijks injured.
The Belgian made an immediate impact, because he won back the ball in midfield, surged through the centre and spread it to the left where Rafael Leao took a touch and wrong-footed Lukasz Skorupski at the near post.
It was almost 2-0 with another De Ketelaere assist moments later, an inspired ball floated over the top for Pierre Kalulu, whose first touch let him down one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Leao had a rapid counter-attack on the stroke of half-time, but was denied by Skorupski at the near post, while Marko Arnautovic just failed at full stretch to meet the cross as it flashed across the face of goal.
Milan doubled their lead when Andrea Cambiaso gave it away cheaply and Leao floated a ball over the top for the acrobatic Giroud volley, just glancing it with his boot into the far bottom corner.
Yacine Adli came on for his Serie A debut, but Bologna threatened when Nicola Sansone thumped the outside of the near post with a ferocious strike after a short free kick.
Alexis Saelemaekers forced a low save with his snapshot and Davide Calabria’s angled drive was charged down after a Leao back-heel flick.
Milan 2-0 Bologna
Leao 21 (M), Giroud 58 (M)
Cambiaso must have bumped into Roberto Carlos (Sandro), when he had his medical.
That’s the difference De Ketelaere makes with his physicality and cla.ss, compared to Diaz.
He’s not even ready yet and that wasn’t a special performance in any way, but still …