AC Milan Defeats Udinese 2-0 Despite Seven-Player Injury Crisis

AC Milan secured a 2-0 victory over Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium on Sunday, with goals from Christian Pulisic in the sixth minute and Omari Hutchinson in the 65th minute. The win extended coach Ruben Amorim's unbeaten streak in Serie A to eight matches, maintaining Milan's position within four points of leaders Inter Milan after the opening eight rounds of the season.

The match came amid a severe injury crisis that forced Amorim to field a heavily depleted squad. Seven first-team players were unavailable: Mario Gila (ankle inflammation), Adrien Rabiot (right calf fatigue), Diego Moreira (left hamstring fatigue), Matteo Gabbia, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Samuel Chukwueze (all long-term injuries), plus one additional absence. To manage the shortage, Amorim deployed a 4-4-1-1 formation and called up five Milan Futuro players to the bench, including Alphadjo Cisse and Francesco Camarda as attacking options.

Milan dominated the contest tactically despite squad constraints. Pulisic's opening goal came from a precise free-kick by Luka Modric, whose assist made him the player with the most assists after turning 40 in Serie A history since the league expanded to 20 teams in 2004-05. Milan created 19 shots with an expected goals total of 3.12, while Udinese managed only 12 shots for 0.42 xG. Defender Fikayo Tomori filled in for the injured Gila, while goalkeeper Mike Maignan—sent off in midweek against Bournemouth—preserved a clean sheet with a point-blank save from Keinan Davis late in the match.

The victory marked a decisive response to Milan's 3-0 Europa League defeat to Bournemouth on Thursday. The Rossoneri have now won four consecutive Serie A away matches against Udinese with an aggregate score of 12-2, matching their best run against the same opponent between 1999 and 2001. Amorim's side faces a demanding fixture schedule ahead, including matches against Bologna, Inter Milan in the derby, Ferencvaros in the Europa League, and Genoa before the international break.