AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli defended his team selection after their 4-2 defeat at Monza.

Luka Jovic saw red as Pioli's decision to rotate his XI backfired.

“We made mistakes that ruined the match. When you concede four goals it feels wrong to say our first half-hour was good, but that is true," Pioli told DAZN.

“Naturally, going a man down made it even more difficult, then after getting it to 2-2, we should've been sharper and calmer to defend better. At that moment, the team felt confident and wanted to go on to win. There were too many errors tonight.

“We moved the ball around too slowly, but Monza also put everyone behind the ball and waited for us. The game changed, unfortunately for us, with all those incidents going from the interruption to the goals and the card. These are all incidents where a team like ours ought to be sharper, more concentrated and more on their toes.

“It is a painful defeat for the way it developed and the situation we were in. The only one who was meant to start today was Rafael Leao, as he had a slight calf twinge in training this morning and did not want to risk it, but the others were in good shape.

“(Christian) Pulisic did not train yesterday, as he was tired, and Rafa felt he wasn't ready. Christian has never played so much in recent years, so he needed some rest."