Rafael Leao gave Milan the lead before Santiago Castro and Dan Ndoye turned the game around for Bologna as they won 2-1.
“I saw another fantastic reaction from the team to going behind in a game where we were in my view playing well against one of the quickest forwards who are dangerous on the counter-attack,” Italiano told DAZN.
“However, the way the lads keep their heads, do not give up and manage to turn things around are allowing us to win matches like this. Clearly, going a goal down against Milan means any slight distraction could be devastating, but we saw the character of these players once more.
“With these three points, our position in the table becomes truly impressive.”
Italiano also said: “Our next match is on Sunday, so imagine how much time we’ve got to recover and prepare. When I saw Castro and Dominguez were losing intensity, it was right to bring on fresh legs. Odgaard, Cambiaghi and Dallinga gave us that extra boost we were lacking in the final 20 minutes.
“When the substitutes come on with this attitude, it benefits the whole squad and makes a real difference. The enthusiasm we have at home is even more powerful and pushes us forward.
“I told the players before kick-off that this would be played with the tempo, intensity and spirit of the Champions League. We needed to challenge ourselves on their level. I am happy we’re getting players like Odgaard and Ferguson back to full fitness, while Orsolini only recently returned and is not at 100 per cent.
"When we have so many options, we can rotate and have a starting XI to put in a great performance.”