Finally Nkunku! Frenchman's brace marks AC Milan's easy win over Verona

Just days ago, AC Milan agreed on the arrival of their new #9 - Niclas Fullkrug from West Ham. And while the Rossoneri were looking forward to seeing the latest reinforcement, one man must have been nervous.

Christopher Nkunku had scored only once in 14 games with the Milan side and was undoubtedly afraid for his position. However, instead of making him anxious, the pressure got the best out of him, as the Frenchman bagged a brace against Hellas Verona today, scoring his maiden Serie A goals.

New AC Milan No. 9 – Niclas Fullkrug

Before Nkunku's five-minute blitzkrieg - his first goal came in the 48th minute from the spot - Christian Pulisic put Massimiliano Allegri's crew in front in added time, just a minute before the break, paving the way to the 3-0 victory, after a relatively poor 45 minutes Milan played.

Now, the Rossoneri are back at the Serie A top, and can peacefully wait for Inter and Napoli's games, where they'd hope for the rivals' failures.

During the opening quarter of an hour, Verona played a so-so open game, but as the time passed, Alberto Bertolini's men ceded possession to Milan. There was only one slight problem - the Rossoneri had no idea of what to do with the ball.

Lack of creativity and no sense of direction had a visible consequence embodied in a single decent chance for the home crew - Ruben Loftus-Cheek's 20th-minute effort from the edge of the box, which went wide of the post after a deflection.

Juve in a nutshell: Poor display, but a win in the end

The 40-year-old Luka Modric was the most active on Massimiliano Allegri's team - which says a lot in itself - but even the super-experienced 2018 Ballon d'Or winner couldn't lift the lackluster Milan.

And then, when the crowd at San Siro was already preparing for the break, in the first minute of added time, Verona were checkmated in three moves.

Modric took a corner kick, Adrien Rabiot flicked a header to the far post, where Christian Pulisic awaited the ball and smashed it into the net with a first-touch volley, giving the home crew the lead in the nick of time, just before the break.

The American's opener seemed to have stunned the visitors, who failed to recover from a shock, and were punished, conceding another goal minutes after the break. Victor Nelsson recklessly pulled Christopher Nkunku by his arm in the box, and the referee had no dilemma, pointing to the spot. The Frenchman took responsibility himself and scored his maiden Serie A goal, doubling the home team's lead in the 48th minute.

Yet, when it began to rain, it started pouring! Just five minutes later, after Modric's long-range effort, Verona custodian Lorenzo Montipo deflected it to the post, and Nkunku was in the right place at the right time to pass the ball into the empty net and complete a brace - 3-0!

Afterwards, given that the Rossoneri had sealed the three points, the game felt more like a friendly than a league clash. Nelsson and Gift Orban for the visitors, and Koni De Winter and Loftus-Cheek on the other side, made a few attempts, but the result did not change, although Verona's Nigerian forward found the net, but his goal was disallowed for a previous offside.

Now, Milan are back at the Serie A top, two points adrift of their city rivals, Inter, while Juventus and Napoli are three and four points away, respectively. Still, the Nerazzurri and the Neapolitans have yet to play their 17th-round games, so there's more excitement to come in the race for the Scudetto.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 17

Saturday

Parma - Fiorentina 1-0 (0-0)

/Sorensen 48/

Lecce - Como 0-3 (0-1)

/Paz 20, Ramon 66, Douvikas 75/

Torino - Cagliari 1-2 (1-1)

/Vlasic 28 - Prati 45, Kilicsoj 66/

Udinese - Lazio 1-1 (0-0)

/Davis 90+5 - Solet 80 og/

Pisa - Juventus 0-2 (0-0)

/Calabresi 73 og, Yildiz 90+2/

Sunday

AC Milan - Hellas Verona 3-0 (1-0)

/Pulisic 45+1, Nkunku 48 pen, 53/

17.00: (6.50) Cremonese (3.80) Napoli (1.57)

20.00: (1.80) Bologna (3.60) Sassuolo (5.10)

22.45: (3.90) Atalanta (3.60) Inter Milan (2.05)

Monday

22.45: (1.62) Roma (3.75) Genoa (6.00)

***odds are subject to change***