Allegri: ‘AC Milan threw away 2 points, we fell asleep’

Max Allegri admits Milan ‘threw away two points’ in their 2-2 draw with Parma, as they ‘were asleep’ after half-time, but stood up for Pervis Estupinan.

It really was a game of two halves at the Stadio Tardini, as the Rossoneri looked perhaps too comfortable when surging into an early 2-0 lead through Alexis Saelemaekers and the Rafael Leao penalty.

Adrian Bernabé gave Parma hope with a sensational curler just before half-time, and that set up a comeback to equalise with Enrico Delprato’s glancing header.

Both teams had the opportunities to win it in a chaotic match that ended 2-2, but it will feel like another wasted chance for the Diavolo, who have now dropped points against Cremonese, Pisa and Parma.

“We threw away two points, I don’t know how it might’ve ended if we had gone into the break at 2-0, but we should’ve done better,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

“Even apart from the goal, we came out for the second half so clumsy, we allowed two or three big chances before the equaliser from throw-ins and corners, we were basically half-asleep.

“Once we started playing again, there were three scoring opportunities that we didn’t take. It’s a psychological thing, the game seemed to be on the right track, but the fear set in when they scored. Parma made the most of that mental advantage and regained confidence, so we should’ve kept playing our game at that moment. Instead, we were losing all the battles inside the penalty area.”

Estupinan had his first game since September 28 and made some costly errors, so did Allegri expect more from the former Brighton and Hove Albion player?

“No, he was coming back after a long injury, plus I think he managed to avoid conceding one goal with an important block. It is not one player responsible, we all should’ve stepped up and been ready for battle.”

Christian Pulisic also made his comeback as a late substitute, forming a partnership with Rafael Leao, but missed a big chance to win it.

“Pulisic and Leao had done well in pre-season as a pairing too. We should have Adrien Rabiot back after the break for international duty,” assured Allegri.

“We can play in a few different ways, but the fact remains we did create many scoring opportunities today. We need more patience and not the urge to shoot after every three passes.

“We were a bit dumb today, as we dropped some precious points and the fact remains we left six points behind against Cremonese, Pisa and Parma this season.”

The last time Milan fumbled a two-goal lead in Serie A was their 3-3 draw with Salernitana in May 2024.

“We were not solid enough when leading 2-1, we just started giving it away far too cheaply. You can have a moment of being under pressure, but if you can’t play good football in those moments, you should at least battle for every ball.”

While Milan went into this weekend hoping they could take advantage of the fixture list to climb into top spot, instead they risk being left behind by the others crowded up there.