Gonçalo Ramos needed 69 minutes and three misses to open his San Siro account

For 69 minutes this was a lesson in how to waste a good evening. Milan created six big chances to Venezia's none, and the scoreboard would not move.

Gonçalo Ramos was the man missing most of them. He had already passed up two clear openings in the first half — Chukwueze and De Winter had theirs too — before Alexis Saelemaekers put him through on 69 minutes. This time he took a touch and finished low across the goalkeeper, into the far corner. His first at San Siro.

Venezia had a plan, and it nearly held

Venezia did not come to defend for ninety minutes and hope. Adams and Yeboah were a genuine problem on the counter, and the visitors got two shots on target out of the evening — which, on the balance of chances, was not far off what Milan managed to convert.

It ended badly anyway. In the 89th minute a Ramos effort ricocheted off Stanković and went in off Redouane Halhal: 2-0, and a scoreline that flatters Milan less than it looks, given the expected goals read 2.13 to 0.82.

Match facts

• 69' — Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan), assisted by Alexis Saelemaekers
• 70' — Strahinja Pavlović (AC Milan) booked for a foul on Yeboah
• 74' — Luka Modrić substituted, to a standing ovation
• 89' — Redouane Halhal (Venezia), own goal

One row is deliberately missing. ESPN and Eurosport disagree on the total shot counts — ESPN's own on-target percentages point to 16 and 9, Eurosport's breakdown adds up to 14 and 5 — so rather than pick a side we left the line out. Everything above is confirmed.

A different route to the same three points

Milan had already shown they could win in a hurry. Five days earlier at Torino, on the opening weekend, a double substitution at the hour mark turned a goalless game into two goals in two minutes flat — Adrien Rabiot teed up Alphadjo Cissè at 64' and scored himself at 66'. Against Venezia there was no such shortcut. Six big chances went down before Ramos finally converted the seventh, and even then the second goal needed a ricochet off Danilo Stanković and in off Redouane Halhal in the 89th minute. Two 2-0 wins to open the season, arrived at in almost opposite ways.

What both sides did next

The win kept Milan's perfect start intact, and it lasted one more match. Ruben Amorim's side went to the Allianz Stadium unbeaten and drew 1-1 with Juventus — Cissè's second goal of the season put them ahead on 69', only for substitute Federico Gatti to head a stoppage-time equaliser. That result left Milan 4th on 7 points from three games, two wins and a draw, five scored and two conceded: still unbeaten, but the perfect record was gone.

Venezia's evening at San Siro turned out to be a preview of their season so far. They lost again in the next round, 3-2 at Frosinone, despite pulling back from two goals down through John Yeboah and Richie Sagrado before Giorgi Kvernadze restored the hosts' lead for good. Three matches, three defeats, no points and only two goals scored — bottom of the table on goal difference, level on points with Genoa and Fiorentina but with a worse goal difference than either.

What's next

After three matchdays, Milan sit 4th on 7 points, two behind early leaders Roma and Inter, who are both still perfect through three wins. Venezia sit 18th without a point. Both return after the international break for matchday 4.

Ruben Amorim, who is still unbeaten since taking over, was not in a celebrating mood on the night: he said Milan have plenty of work to do at the back. On an evening they kept a clean sheet, that says something about what he saw.