Defender (and acting captain) Chris Smalling is controlling the ball perfectly as we penetrate deep into Milanese territory.

AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud (#9) does not seem pleased with the situation. The 26 year old defender Theo Hernández (#19) seems downright annoyed and determined to do something about this outrage, unaware that he has to watch his back because our forward Tommaso Baldanzi (#35) is right behind him.

Their midfielder Tommaso Pobega (#32) doesn't seem to know quite what to do about this but our attackers Houssem Aouar (#22) and (of course) Paulo Dybala (#21) are wound up and ready to assist Smalling. In the meantime defender Dean Huijsen (#3) is lurking, ready to do what he spent most of the night doing which is formulating a plan B, C and D in case anything goes wrong with plan A.

Smalling was 34 at the time of this match meaning that we'll lose him eventually (and not too many years from now), something that nobody is looking forward to. His current contract runs until 2025, and I would question whether Roma would want to extend that into his late 30's. He's English by birth, having spent his junior years at teams that sound like railway stops from a 1950's Agatha Christie novel. His first and only "serious" club (if you don't count 2 years at Fulham, and who would?) was Manchester United (2010-2020). It was from there that he was sent on loan to Roma in 2020 before the transfer became permanent in 2021.