In the Zone: Milan 0-2 Inter performance analysis

San Siro staged a magnificent spectacle on Wednesday with the UEFA Champions League's first Milanese derby in 18 years. It was a semi-final first leg which ended with Inter with a two-goal lead and one foot in the final following a display marked by determination, energy and intensity.

In this article brought to you by FedEx, the UEFA Technical Observer panel highlight several key features of Inter's triumph, including their tireless pressing game and the superb distribution of goalkeeper André Onana.

Goals

0-1: Edin Džeko (8)

The 37-year-old hit his third goal against Milan this season with a wonderful left-foot volley from an inswinging corner by Hakan Çalhanoğlu. According to the UEFA match observer, the movement of Lautaro Martínez towards the near post was significant as it drew the attention of Simon Kjær and Theo Hernandez. Behind them, Džeko was up against the smaller Davide Calabria and he was able to use his physical strength to hold off the right-back and side-foot the ball into the top corner.

0-2: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (11)

This was a wonderfully worked goal which came after left-back Federico Dimarco played a square pass from the flank towards Martínez, unmarked some 20 metres out. The Argentinian let the ball run past him – a dummy which wrong-footed Kjær – and coming in behind him ahead of Sandro Tonali, Mkhitaryan collected it and drove into the box before firing a shot over Mike Maignan, Milan's goalkeeper. Credit is also due Džeko for the run which took Fiyako Tomori away from the central space which Mkhitaryan duly exploited.

Player of the Match: Henrikh Mkhitaryan

The Armenian international's impact extended far beyond his fifth goal of the season in all competitions. The verdict of the UEFA observer was: "He not only scored, but was also relentless in midfield. He rotated superbly with Çalhanoğlu when defending and pressing. His passing was incredibly accurate and his reading of the game was excellent."

Team formations

Milan

Milan's starting formation was 4-2-3-1. Out of possession they adjusted to a 4-3-3 formation in the mid-press and high press with Brahim Díaz (10) and Alexis Saelemaekers (56) pushing up on either side of Olivier Giroud (9).

According to the match observer, it was central midfielder Tonali (8) who took the game to Inter as well as anyone in Milan colours. Across the two semi-final first legs, he ranked among the top five players for passes into the attacking third (seven) as well as for key passes (three). "He took most of the set plays and offered some threat through the middle, including the deflected shot onto the post in the second half," said the observer.

Inter

If the starting formation of Simone Inzaghi's side was 3-5-2, they shifted to a 5-3-2 when they were out of possession in a mid or low press; in a mid-press it was interesting to see centre-back Alessandro Bastoni (95) step up at times to challenge in midfield.

When pressing high on Milan's goal-kicks, Inter's shape shifted again to a 3-3-4 with full-backs Denzel Dumfries (2) and Dimarco (32) pushing high up the pitch. The match observer also noted their 4-3-3 formation in the build-up phase when Matteo Darmian (36), the right-sided centre-back, would step across to fill in for Dumfries, the right-back who advanced into the attacking line and linked up to excellent effect with Nicolò Barella (23). Within this 4-3-3 shape, Mkhitaryan (22), Barella and Çalhanoğlu (20) formed an inverted triangle in midfield.

Features

The focus of the first video is Inter's disciplined, energetic pressing game. This was an evening when they hit the ground running and performed with great intensity and, in the words of the match observer: "Their intense pressing in the central areas, a combination of midfield players and dropping forwards, meant that Milan had very little time to be able to get the ball down and build up play."

In the first clip featured above, Milan goalkeeper Maignan has his options restricted by six Inter players pressing high upfield and so picks out Theo Hernández on the left. The full-back is closed down by Dumfries and attempts a pass to Ismaël Bennacer on halfway but the forward cannot control it and Mkhitaryan comes away with the ball. Even when Milan do win the ball back, down their left touchline, they find the passing lanes inside blocked.

The second sequence shows Inter's relentless approach rewarded by a goal, namely Mkhitaryan's strike which comes at the end of a clip which begins with Maignan kicking long in the face of the opposition's high press. Giroud wins the header but the influential Barella is first to the loose ball, controlling it with his chest before displaying his impressive vision by volleying the ball to the left wing for Dimarco, one of four Inter players who – as the arrows denote – are on their toes, ready to spring forward.

In the third example, Hernández, on the left, receives the ball from Kjær but finds the three red-and-black shirts in his immediate vicinity outnumbered three against five – as illustrated in the video. He passes back inside to his central defenders who work the ball to the right where Calabria also finds Inter men blocking the passing lanes. As a consequence the right-back's pass is intercepted and Inter end up creating a shooting opportunity.

The focus of the second video is Inter's success in winning second balls on an evening they played with speed as well as skill and fully stretched their neighbours. In the first clip Martínez is first to the ball following Calabria's defensive header and he lays it back to Çalhanoğlu, who cracks a long-range shot against the post. Even then, Inter recycle the danger with Džeko flicking the ball on and Barella producing an audacious reverse flick to tee up a Mkhitaryan shot.

The second clip shows Barella at work, as he responds with alertness to pick up a second ball in the centre of the pitch and feed it back to Onana. The match observer praised the "work-rate, organisation and discipline" of the Inter players and cited their "relentless energy in midfield" and Barella typified this.

Indeed, across the two semi-final first legs, he was the player with most ball recoveries (nine) while – to highlight Inter's collective effort – team-mates Darmian and Mkhitaryan joined him among the top six players in this category with seven recoveries each.

To offer more numbers, Inter's work off the ball included 19 tackles – the most in this week's first legs – and 22 clearances, which was twice as many as the team second in that category, Manchester City. As another illustration of their industry, forward Martínez made the second-most interceptions (three) this week and was also ranked second for tackles, attempting five and winning three of them.

There was a real sharpness to their play when they gained possession too, as seen in the third clip above where they do not just clear the danger around their own penalty box but show quality on the transition, working the ball deep into Milan territory.

Another feature which caught the eye of UEFA's technical observers was the distribution of Onana, the Inter goalkeeper who achieved a seventh clean sheet in this season's competition – and his third against Milan in 2023. It is his kicking that we focus on here and in the first clip, the Cameroon international showcases his vision as he sees Darmian in space on the right and produces a clever chip which eliminates the first line of Milan's press.

The second clip shows Onana drill a terrific pass to Dimarco on the left, this time speeding the ball past a five-man Milan press. Onana showed impressive variety in his passing too and this is underlined in the third clip where, from his five-metre box, he kicks long to Martínez inside the centre-circle.

The match observer was full of praise for the Inter custodian, saying: "Once again he demonstrated how comfortable he is with the ball at his feet – his choice of passes was excellent, knowing when to play short and when to play long – and the accuracy of his long passing was superb."

The numbers underscore Onana's involvement in Inter's play as, of the four goalkeepers in Champions League action this week, he attempted the most passes: 46, with 33 of them completed.

His Milan counterpart Maignan – also commended by the observer for his confident passing, long and short – attempted 30 and completed 28 while in the other semi-final, Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois attempted 32 (19 completed) and Man City's Ederson 19 (16 completed).

Coaches' assessments

Stefano Pioli, Milan coach: "Our aim was to be aggressive, but Inter had the better of us in a lot of duels and on second balls. Inter were the better side, and the game became complicated, both tactically and mentally. We're disappointed, but want to change this result in the second leg."

Simone Inzaghi, Inter coach: "We had an extraordinary first half, the scoreline was tighter than it should have been with what we created. The guys were really great in managing such an emotional match. They played with their hearts and heads, covering every part of the pitch."