Adrien Rabiot and Mario Gila expressed their frustration after Milan surrendered much of a 3-0 lead before holding on to beat Atalanta 3-2 at San Siro.
Milan appeared to be cruising after Goncalo Ramos converted a penalty, Rabiot scored and Gila headed in his first Serie A goal since 2024. But Atalanta’s late response turned a comfortable evening into a tense finish.
Ramos had the opportunity to add another goal from the penalty spot, but his effort was saved by Marco Carnesecchi. Atalanta then reduced the deficit through Gianluca Gaetano and Nikola Krstovic, before Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan made a crucial save to deny an equaliser.
“We did very well in the first half, then strangely we lost control of the game,” Rabiot told Sky Sport Italia.
“It is a problem, because we had done so well, but if we don’t keep that up, then it’s not worth anything.
“Fortunately, we were able to get the victory, but I’m not so sure we deserve it. I feel quite angry, we cannot suddenly stop after playing that well and we need more from those who come off the bench.”
The result came only days after Milan produced a commanding 4-0 away win against RB Salzburg in the Europa League, with Alphadjo Cisse scoring a hat-trick. However, the teenager was not involved against Atalanta.
Gila’s goal came when he met a flick-on from Rabiot at the back post following a corner, giving the defender his first Serie A strike since 2024.
The defender said Milan’s performance had been outstanding for most of the match, but criticised the way his side dealt with the closing stages.
“We had dominated for 65 minutes, but then we tried to move the ball around too hastily, we lacked patience and lost control of the match,” added Gila.
“It’s a pity, because the first half was perhaps our best performance of the season.”
Milan have now maintained their unbeaten start to the Serie A season, although their defensive weaknesses were exposed as Atalanta threatened to complete an unlikely comeback.
Gila said the team had to take the right lesson from the match and develop the ability to win even when their performance drops.
“You need to win these games, even when you’re not in great shape and don’t do that well. We’ve got to learn from this experience.”
