Did he mean it or not? AC Milan defender Theo Hernandez pulled off a bizarre 'slice' pass in their win against Hellas Verona, but some fans are convinced it was a complete fluke.
The Italian giants moved one step closer to their first Serie A title in 11 years on Sunday night.
Goals from Sandro Tonali [2] and Alessandro Florenzi sealed a deserved 3-1 win at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi as Stefano Pioli's side went two points ahead of second-place Inter.
AC Milan are currently 14 games unbeaten in Serie A, and the incredible defensive work of Fiyako Tomori, Pierre Kalulu and Theo Hernandez, amongst others, has been key in that run.
Advert
Hernandez, who joined the Italian club from Real Madrid in 2019, certainly played his part against Verona at the weekend.
In fact, he was a big talking point during the game – but for a 'sliced' pass that somehow found teammate Rafael Leao. You can see that moment below.
Advert
It looks like Hernandez was about to ping a ball to the right flank but in an unexpected move, the Frenchman finds Leao with an unusual 'outside of the boot' pass.
One fan said: "It’s so weird I’m not sure he meant it," while another commented: "He meant it for sure. Check how he made a full turn that ended facing where the pass landed. We've seen these in training but never in a game and I love it."
A third wrote: "To me, his body language of a little hop and throwing hands down looks like he thought he completely f*cked up what he meant to do and had no idea where the ball went.
"Got lucky rather than some passing excellence. Still looks nice though."
Advert
What do you think? Did he mean it?
After the final whistle on Sunday, AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli was full of praise for his team.
Advert
“I am very much in love with my players," he said. "I know what they are putting in and what our path has been. I am satisfied with today’s victory, but we are already thinking about the next one which will be complicated.”
He added: “Courage and belief derive from your experiences. Today we went under despite having started well, but we believe in us and step by step we are overcoming all obstacles. We must continue like this.”
Milan will come up against Atalanta on Sunday – a fixture that could decide the title race – before a trip to Sassuolo on the final day of the season.
Jack Kenmare