AC Milan clinched three huge points and also broke their winning drought in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter on Sunday evening. Matteo Gabbia was the unexpected hero and below are the player ratings for the Rossoneri.
Maignan (7): The Frenchman was very solid with his passing throughout the evening and made several good stops to deny Inter. One in particular comes to mind when he got down very low to deny Thuram thanks to fantastic reflexes.
Emerson Royal (6): So much better from him tonight. Yes, Inter did still create chances on the flanks but he put up a good fight, in addition to actually contributing in attack with some nice crosses (one for Leao especially). A bit rash on the goal conceded, but in fairness he got no support from the midfield there.
Gabbia (8 – MOTM): WHAT. A. GOAL. The academy product secured the three points for Milan tonight with an absolutely stunning header. Not to mention that before that, he made several ‘last-ditch’ interventions for Milan at the back, including one when Inter seemed certain to go through on goal and instead, Leao got a 1v1 thanks to his tackle. A slightly inflated rating maybe, but we don’t care on a night like this!
Tomori (7): Very impressive aerial play from him tonight, jumping high on several occasions to beat Inter, and his positioning was also very good throughout the clash. Could have been a bit better with his passing, but overall a very solid display from him and then some.
Hernandez (7): His acceleration was crucial as Milan made their way past the first phase of Inter’s press and on top of that, he did very well defensively. A old-school Theo display with a lot of willingness and dare I say grinta to bring this home.
Pulisic (7.5): It was a great run and a great goal by the American, showing once again just how important he is for this team. He continued to do well in both phases of the game, even if Milan attacked more down the left in the second half.
Fofana (6): A mixed display from him, with some very good moments but also some poor ones. Above all, he took too much time on the ball and ended up being carded for it. It’s fair to say that he grew into the game and that was good, salvaging his rating here.
Reijnders (7.5): We have said it many times and we will say it again, his ability to breeze past opponents and create both space as well as time for himself (and his teammates) is invaluable. And it was a great cross for Gabbia on the winner as well.
Leao (5.5): Unfortunately, in a game as big as this, Milan cannot afford what we saw from the winger tonight. He was more or less invisible in the first half and when he got going in the second, he missed a fantastic 1v1 (more or less) chance to make 2-1 before Gabbia’s goal.
Abraham (6): Just like Leao, the Englishman missed what many would consider to be a sitter and this inevitably hurt his rating here. However, as opposed to the No.10, he worked super hard from start to finish and added a lot of value despite the miss.
Morata (6.5): It must be said that without his work-rate and willingness out there tonight, the formation wouldn’t have worked against a team like Inter. He was also quite good when going forward but could have done better on a few of the counters. Still, as said, very important.
Loftus-Cheek (6): He added strength to the midfield and had some good moments on the ball, helping Milan see out the game as well. Job well done off the bench.
Okafor (5.5): Yikes. While he showed off great movement and combination with his teammates, you simply have to put that last chance away.
Chukwueze (6): Good pass for Okafor on the last counter, in fact he did everything right.
Pavlovic (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
