What an incredible ending to an otherwise sluggish game. After Christian Pulisic broke the deadlock, all hell broke lose as Olivier Giroud was forced to be the goalkeeper in the final minutes. Below are the player ratings for the Rossoneri.
Starting XI
Maignan (6): He made an absolutely stunning save in the second half after a shot was deflected by Tijjani Reijnders. However, the challenge that got him sent off was incredibly reckless and put Milan in a difficult spot. Note: his rating was upgraded from 5.5 after further consideration.
Florenzi (6): He did okay on the right flank and was certainly comfortable on the ball, offering a solution when the play was at a standstill at times. Also had a good cross for Leao, but the header was saved.
Thiaw (7): Another very very strong performance from the German as he not only won many duels but also did well on the ball. Sure, it wasn’t always the hardest passes but he had a couple of really good ones.
Tomori (7): He was everywhere, as always, and didn’t allow Gudmundsson to test Maignan that evening really. For a higher rating, and this goes for Thiaw too, he could have been even more bold in the build-up.
Hernandez (5.5): A very unnecessary yellow card which means he will miss the game against Juventus after the break. He wasn’t much of an outlet in attack either.
Musah (6): He was way too confident in the duels (most of which he lost) and was sloppy on the ball at times. However, he did an important job towards the end and also got the assist for the goal.
Adli (5.5): A couple of good passes, but nothing more than that. He didn’t have the same luck with the long balls and he showed his inexperience in certain situations, trying to play his way out rather than going down and winning a free-kick.
Reijnders (6): He was almost always involved and that’s why he gets a pass, ratings-wise, for me this evening. He at least tried to break the deadlock with his movements but he didn’t always get the ball.
Chukwueze (5): A bad night for him, despite the fact that Milan gave him every chance to shine. The Rossoneri did really well to create space on the right but the Nigerian just didn’t make the right decisions.
Jovic (5.5): He was very quiet in the first half but improved slightly in the second half, somewhat involved in the goal and also having a few efforts blocked.
Okafor (5): As opposed to his opposite man, he was barely involved in the game and the few times he did get the ball, he didn’t have any success.
Substitutes
Leao (5.5): A few good runs here and there, including in the build-up to the goal, but was not particularly accurate with his crosses.
Pulisic (7 – MOTM): You could give it to Tomori, but the American’s skill on that goal deserves the award. It was a great take-down of the ball and the finish was stunning, and with his weaker foot as well.
Giroud (7): He didn’t have much of an impact on the game as a striker, but as a goalkeeper (!) he had one crucial intervention where he claimed the ball. It takes some confidence to step up in that moment and put on the gloves. Thanks, Ollie! Note: his rating was upgraded from 6.5 after further consideration.
Calabria (6): An okay defensive display from the captain and was needed for the energy in the end.
Bartesaghi (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
