Player Ratings: Frosinone 2-3 AC Milan – Maignan howler but trio shines

AC Milan clinched three crucial points after coming back from 2-1 behind to win 2-3 away at Frosinone, once again not making it easy for themselves. Olivier Giroud, Luka Jovic and Rafael Leao were the big heroes and below are the player ratings. 

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.

Starting XI

Maignan (5): He couldn’t do anything about the penalty, despite diving the right way, but his action on the second goal was almost shocking. That ball should never hit the back of the net, and the Frenchman knows it. Luckily, Milan came back and won anyway.

Calabria (6): An okay display from the captain in both phases of the game, always making sure to get into the box when going forward. He also combined nicely with Pulisic on a few occasions. Enough to get a pass here for sure.

Kjaer (5.5): The Dane made some good clearances towards the end, but looked far too unconvincing before that with some poor positioning and slow movement. Not to mention that his passing, which is usually very good, was way off on several occasions. Better in the second half, but still not good.

Gabbia (6.5): He made some really nice tackles out there today but just like Kjaer, he sometimes struggled for pace. The equaliser, being at the right place a the right time, was crucial for Milan and his rating thus gets a bump here.

Hernandez (6): Invisible in the first half, not finding his position at all, but improved in the second half with some good combinations with Leao. Ultimately, we know that he can do so much better but it was okay.

Adli (6): The Frenchman had some shaky moments at the start, it must be said, but recovered and ended up having a decent game. The cross before the second goal was nice, but we do feel like he could have done more in other situations tonight.

Reijnders (5.5): Was not very effective when going forward and got the one thing he wanted to avoid; a yellow card. He will miss the game against Napoli and that’s not ideal for Milan.

Pulisic (5.5): He played against Brescianini, who is not a left-back, and we saw that on one occasion when Pulisic easily dribbled past him. Then, the American simply stopped doing that and was not bold enough. The defensive contribution was good, though, but in games like these he must do more in attack. He also had a shot straight at the keeper from a good position.

Loftus-Cheek (5.5): Apart from a few good first touches, the Englishman barely had any impact on the game and really struggled out there.

Leao (7.5): One of his best games this season, despite the handball on the penalty which was very unlucky. He beat his man almost every single time and really should have had more than the one assist, making some good passes into the box. And although he didn’t get a goal, this is surely a confidence boost for him.

Giroud (7.5 – MOTM): You can say whatever you want about his style, but he ended up being crucial with a goal and an assist. And that header was simply brilliant, showcasing all of his qualities. Certainly not ‘stat-padding’, combining really well with his teammates throughout the game. After a display like this, the renewal seems almost mandatory for Milan.

Substitutes 

Okafor (6): A bright performance off the bench, but his positioning wasn’t all that great, especially on one occasion when Leao played a cut-back pass.

Bennacer (6): Decent from the Algerian off the bench and above all, it was nice to see him back. He also sent the cross in just before Jovic’s goal, so that counts for something.

Jovic (7): Another super-sub goal from the Serbian, who needed less than a minute on the pitch to find the back of the net. Crucial goal for Milan, and while he wasn’t brilliant apart from the goal, the Rossoneri didn’t need anything else.

Musah (6): Very good shielding of the ball in the end, counting the clock down.

Florenzi (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a ratings.

The manager

Pioli (5.5): He made the right subs once again, but the tactical approach was rather disastrous for most of the game. It almost seemed like Milan didn’t have a proper plan, and the manager can count himself lucky that Leao and Giroud were in a good mood.