Massimiliano Allegri accepted heavy criticism from AC Milan supporters after a 3-0 home defeat against Udinese, which damaged both the Serie A title challenge and Champions League qualification push, with jeers echoing around San Siro as Milan produced another troubling display in a season that had already shown clear signs of decline.

The loss left Milan further behind in the league race and also placed pressure on the top-four battle, as the Rossoneri suffered a third defeat in four league matches and again failed to find the net, extending a worrying run without goals during the second half of the domestic campaign.

Milan lost a Serie A home fixture by at least three goals without scoring for the first time since February 2021, when Inter won 3-0, and it also marked the first occasion that a side coached by Allegri were beaten by a three-goal margin without replying in Italy’s top division, underlining how poor this performance was by recent standards.

The attacking numbers reflected that struggle, as the Rossoneri registered only three shots on target from 20 attempts against Udinese, and Allegri later admitted there was no real defence for such wastefulness, especially at San Siro, where frustration from home fans grew with every missed chance and every defensive lapse.

Speaking after the game, Allegri did not challenge the reaction from the stands and instead accepted that the supporters’ anger matched the level of the performance, while also stressing that Milan still had a route to Champions League qualification if discipline and focus returned quickly within the squad. “It is part of football,hetold DAZN. When you win, you are good;when you lose, you are not. It was right that they booed us today. This is a difficult moment for the team. We have lost three of our last four, and failed to score in four games during the second half of the season. If you are in the top four, going four games without scoring is simply not good enough. On the second goal, we were three against one. We need to return to being organised and clear-headed, because we still have every possibility of making the Champions League.”

Allegri highlighted one key defensive error, noting that Milan had three defenders against one attacker on Udinese’s second goal, yet still conceded, a moment that summed up the lack of organisation and clear thinking that the coach believed Milan needed to address quickly to rescue the season.

Milan’s schedule added further pressure, with a trip to Verona next in Serie A before a crucial top-four meeting with Juventus on April 26, and that fixture looked even more important after Juventus defeated Atalanta, tightening the contest for Champions League positions around the Rossoneri.

The defeat to Udinese therefore became more than a single bad result, as it exposed issues in both attack and defence for AC Milan in Serie A, left Allegri facing new questions after an unwanted statistical first, and turned the upcoming matches against Verona and Juventus into vital tests of whether Milan could still secure a Champions League place.