Milan Strikes Twice Through Pulisic and Hutchinson to Sink Udinese

Five minutes. That's all it took for Milan to make clear which way this match was heading at the Bluenergy Stadium. Christian Pulisic struck a right-footed shot from the center of the box, finishing off a Luka Modric assist from a free kick, and the 0-1 was set for the rest of the night. Udinese never found a way to turn that story around and ended up falling 0-2 in Serie A.

The second blow landed well into the second half. In the 64th minute, Omari Hutchinson finished from close range with his right foot, into the top right corner, after an initial shot from Ardon Jashari that the home goalkeeper had managed to parry. That rebound became the final 0-2 and snuffed out any hope of a comeback for Udinese, who had tried earlier through shots from Hassane Kamara, Mërgim Vojvoda and Jesper Karlström without luck.

A Dominance the Numbers Back Up

Milan didn't just take home the three points: they were also comfortably superior in ball control and chance creation. Possession, total passes and shots on target all belonged to the visitors across the full ninety minutes.

The in-house xG estimate calculated from the match's shots also backs up that dominance: 3.10 for Milan against just 0.86 for Udinese. This isn't a pre-match projection but a post-match read on the quality of chances each side created, and in this case it confirms what played out on the field: the visitors arrived in the opposing box with far more clarity.

Still, Udinese had their moments, especially before halftime. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, Vojvoda and Karlström tested their luck from outside the box, and in the second half Keinan Davis and Giulio Vinciati also had a go, but Mike Maignan and Milan's defense held the lead without any major scares.

What the Preview Said and What Actually Happened

Before the match, the published projection pointed to a close scoreline but with Milan as the favorite: 22% probability for Udinese, 28% for a draw and 50% for a Milan win, with expected goals of 1 for the home side and 1.62 for Milan. The final result was even more lopsided than that forecast suggested: Milan not only won but did so by a two-goal margin with a statistical dominance that exceeded those initial numbers.

What It Means in the Standings

The win leaves Milan with 18 points from 8 matches played, in fourth place in Serie A, with a record of 5 wins, 3 draws and no defeats. Udinese, meanwhile, remain in 17th place with just 4 points after 1 win, 1 draw and 6 losses across the same 8 matchdays. The gap between the two sides in the table now stands at 14 points, a fairly clear reflection of the opposite paths both teams are on so far this season.

For Udinese, led by Kosta Runjaic, the task remains finding a way to string together wins. For Ruben Amorim's Milan, on the other hand, the trip to the Bluenergy Stadium served to extend an unbeaten run that, for now, keeps them in the hunt near the top of the table.