AC Milan boss Max Allegri remained upbeat after drawing 2-2 at home with Palermo in the first-leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal.
Allegri feels "the important thing was not to lose" after a dramatic Coppa Italia semi-final with Palermo.
"The lads had a great start and took the lead, then didn't take more chances and conceded the equaliser. Palermo caused us problems on the counter and we risked conceding a third," he said of the 2-2 draw at San Siro.
"The important thing was not to lose and keep the tie open ahead of the second leg, so we can focus on Serie A. When the time comes we'll prepare for the decider in Palermo."
Allegri was without several stars, including Alessandro Nesta, Mario Yepes, Gianluca Zambrotta and Alexandre Pato, so fielded Luca Antonini, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Massimo Oddo in defence.
"It's only normal that the defence would have trouble with three players who don't tend to have much time on the field. They still did well against a Palermo side with great quality and pace.
"We're doing well in defence this season and I'd say Thiago Silva is the best defender in the world right now."
