Palladino thrilled as Fiorentina (& De Gea) shock AC Milan - Carlos Volcano

In a thrilling match, former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea made crucial saves against Tammy Abraham and Theo Hernandez from the penalty spot to secure a victory for Fiorentina.

Mike Maignan also saved a penalty from Fiorentina striker Moise Kean, as the Viola won through goals from Milan-owned Yacine Adli and Albert Gudmundsson, with Christian Pulisic having levelled for the visitors.

“Gudmundsson is a very talented player, he joined us late in the summer and had some muscular issues too, so we needed time to get him into shape. He is still trying to find his best form, but he is unpredictable, sacrifices himself for his teammates and worked very hard in defence along with Kean,” Palladino told DAZN.

“Strikers are fuelled by goals and excitement, so when missing a penalty, you can let your head drop. What impressed me about Moise tonight is that he continued fighting for the team, sacrificing himself and setting the example for his teammates. His physical shape is improving too, as you saw from the shot he hit against the bar in stoppages. We’re very happy with all he is doing for us.”

Palladino continued: “I always tell the team they must attack and defend together, which today they did with courage, quality and sacrifice, because it is complicated facing this Milan team that caused problems for Inter and Bayer Leverkusen.

“We have found our solidity and that is an important aspect, as it builds that unity. You cannot afford to have two or three players in Serie A who don’t help the defence. We can and must improve the way we build moves from the back, because we have a lot of quality.

“Adli doesn’t have 90 minutes in his legs yet, but he’s starting to show what he can do as well. We’ve got a lot more to come.”