AC Milan lost 2-3 at Anfield Road in their Champions League debut in what was a breathtaking match full of fine goals and turnarounds. Some players did not play up to par, while others surprised us pleasantly in the tough fixture.
Starting XI
Maignan (7.5): Very tough match for the French goalkeeper, but he did incredibly. He had to be fully concentrated for the entire 90 minutes and was found ready on most occasions. Hard to blame him for the goals, but he made a fantastic penalty save to keep Milan in the game in the first half.
Calabria (6): Had much more defensive duties than he is used to and while in the second half he seemed somewhat lost, he raised the level in the second half and guarded his side with honour. His offensive contribution was very limited given the outcome of the game.
Tomori (7): One of the few players who managed to adapt to the intensity of the game in the first half. Made some fantastic tackles and recoveries. His own goal was a matter of luck and he cannot be blamed for that.
Kjaer (6.5): A fine performance from the Danish international as well. Is a guarantee at the back and provided much-needed security to a very inexperienced group of players.
Theo Hernandez (5.5): Probably the worst of the defensive department, but not entirely bad. It’s just that facing Salah and Alexander-Arnold was a really tough nut to crack and both caused Theo a lot of trouble. Also considering this, his contribution to the attack was limited, as was Calabria’s case.
Bennacer (5.5): Looked really lost at the start of the game and eventually got into the game at least a little bit, even though he made a lot of mistakes. It will probably take some time to see him back in top form.
Kessie (5): Really looked like his mind was elsewhere with all the contract renewal rumours circulating. Looked sloppy, reckless and his passing was completely off.
Saelemaekers (6): Tough match for him, but it was actually a decent performance from the Belgian, who made some nice moves and played an important part in the combination leading to Rebic’s goal.
Brahim Diaz (6.5): It was difficult for him to find space, but he really tried a lot and was determined to show off at Anfield and managed to score a goal. Had some nice moments, but also made many mistakes, as he needs to improve on his passing under pressure.
Rafael Leao (5.5): Not enough today from Leao. While he had some moments, including his assist to Rebic, the general impression was that he was ineffective and did not manage to take advantage of Alexander-Arnold’s attacking tendencies to create space for himself.
Ante Rebic (6.5): Tough, very tough for the Croatian. But he got the most from the little available, scoring a fantastic goal to equalize the match.
Substitutions
Alessandro Florenzi (5.5): Not much contribution from the Roma loanee. Probably could have done better on Henderson’s winning goal.
Olivier Giroud (5.5): Came on at a difficult moment of the match when Liverpool were in complete control. Clearly not fully fit yet and thus, his contribution was very limited.
Sandro Tonali (6): He is building on how he started off the season. Entered with a lot of energy and will to prove himself. Definitely the most in-form midfielder at the moment.
Daniel Maldini (N/A)