Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was Football Italia’s MOTM in Torino’s 2-1 win over Milan, but the Granata put in a very solid performance against the confused Rossoneri.
Torino centre-backs Guillermo Maripan and Saul Coco were incredibly focused and solid defensively but received crucial help from goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic, who denied Christian Pulisic from the spot in the second half.
The American winger missed the first spot kick in his professional career but tried his best to cause trouble for Torino by moving across Milan’s attacking line. Joao Felix made a key pass and created a big chance (via Sofascore) by hitting the woodwork, but his replacement, Riccardo Sottil, was just as dangerous and contributed to Milan’s goal.
Once again, the Rossoneri paid a high price for individual mistakes and distractions, like the one leading to Torino’s winner by Gvidas Ginetis.
The Granata clearly improved the team in the January transfer window by adding quality and experience with Eljif Elmas and freshness with Cesare Casadei in the middle of the park.
Torino: Milinkovic-Savic 8; Pedersen 5 (70′ Walukiewicz 5), Coco 7, Maripan 7, Biraghi 6; Casadei 6.5 (70′ Ginetis 7), Ricci 6.5 (70′ Linetty 6); Lazaro 6.5, Vlasic 6.5, Elmas 6.5 (59′ Karamoh 6.5); Sanabria 7.5. Coach: Vanoli 7.
Best Torino player: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic 8 – Another penalty kick save. The fourth in Serie A this season. It was one of his seven saves against the Rossoneri. Nearly two goals prevented (1.86, according to Sofascore).
Lowest Torino ratings: Pedersen and Walukiewicz 5 – Torino struggled on the right flank. Pedersen caused a naive penalty. Walukiewicz somehow contributed to Milan’s goal, but the Rossoneri’s lead didn’t last long.
Torino coach: Paolo Vanoli 7—Torino were aggressive in midfield and made the most of Milan’s mistakes. The Italian tactician made the right substitutions at the right time, and thanks to the team’s solidity and commitment, Torino secured three points.
Milan: Maignan 4.5; Jimenez 6 (88′ Chukwueze N/A), Thiaw 5, Pavlovic 6, Theo Hernandez 5.5; Musah 5 (54′ Abraham 5), Reijnders 7; Pulisic 5.5, Joao Felix 6 (70′ Sottil 6.5), Leao 5 (46′ Fofana 5); Gimenez 5 (88′ Camarda N/A). Coach: Sergio Conceiçao 5.
Best Milan player: Reijnders 7 – Surprise, surprise. It’s him again. The Dutchman scored his 8th Serie A goal this season, cementing his place as the most prolific midfielder in the league. A 91% passing accuracy on top of that.
Milan’s lowest rating: Maignan 4.5—Torino’s first goal is all on him, and it’s the second time in the last four games that the French keeper has committed a serious mistake for which Milan paid a high price. This time, he kicked on Malick Thiaw’s body to cause one of the most comical own-goals of the season.
Milan coach: Sergio Conceiçao 5—Milan had the best chances, but they seemed unbalanced in the first half when they were too exposed to Torino’s counterattacks. He made up for it by replacing Rafael Leao during the break. Milan pushed hard for a result, but they didn’t always show clear ideas up front despite creating promising opportunities. Individual errors did the rest. Torino finished the game with 0.36 expected goals against Milan’s 2.28. But the Granata still collected all three points.
