Milan desperately needed the win this evening and they managed to get the job done, thanks to goals from Franck Kessie and Ante Rebic. Several players impressed for the Rossoneri, down below are the player ratings.
Starting XI
Donnarumma (6.5): He was called into action a few times and made no mistakes as he couldn’t do much about the goal. He was the captain tonight, with Romagnoli on the bench, and it was a positive game for him.
Calabria (6.5): Struggled at the back on a few occasions but also made several interceptions, putting in a decent performance in both phases. Won the penalty in the first half that Kessie converted.
Kjaer (7): The Dane was very solid at the back and he worked well alongside his new partner, Tomori. He also nearly grabbed a goal with a powerful header that hit the bar. He continues to be one of the most consistent players.
Tomori (7.5): There was surely a lot of pressure on the Chelsea loanee this evening as he replaced captain Romagnoli. However, it didn’t seem to bother him at all as he was fantastic on the pitch, making several key interceptions.
Hernandez (6.5): The Frenchman was very important as he worked hard in both phases of the game, always eager to help out his teammates in the attacking phase. Good performance indeed, but nothing spectacular.
Tonali (6.5): He continued his positive spell with a good 83 minutes this evening, above all helping out in the defensive phase. Along with Tomori, he denied Roma two times with a great block. Also made several good runs forward.
Kessie (7.5 – MOTM): The Ivorian, when in form, is almost impossible to stop with his strength and stamina on the pitch. Converted the penalty with ease and was crucial in the recovery for Milan, able to hold onto the ball so many times.
Saelemaekers (6.5): He looked very bright for most of the game and was especially important in helping out Calabria against Roma’s strong left side. Got the assist for Rebic’s goal and it was a positive display overall.
Calhanoglu (N/A): We didn’t see much of him in the first half and he was taken off at half-time due to an injury. It remains to be seen how serious it is.
Rebic (7.5): The Croatian has been criticised as of late but bounced back in style this evening with an electric performance. Was constantly involved in the attacking phase and created many chances, scoring the second goal after a great turn.
Ibrahimovic (6): Not his finest performance as he missed a few good chances and also lazily was offside when Rebic set him up for an open goal. Decent, though, although he had to leave the pitch with a slight injury.
Substitutes
Diaz (N/A): Came on at half-time to replace Hakan but was put in the CF role quite early, so we didn’t see enough from him.
Leao (6): Seemed hungry and he managed to beat his opponent more than once. He perhaps should’ve had a penalty but also misplaced a few passes, but it was an encouraging display off the bench.
Krunic (6): Helped out a lot in defence and nearly got a goal with a smart long-range finish, nearly catching the goalkeeper off guard.
Castillejo (N/A): Didn’t play enough to get a rating.
Meite (N/A): Didn’t play enough to get a rating.
READ MORE: Maldini, Massara and Gazidis show elation after Milan’s huge win over Roma
Donnaruma our new captain and Tomori our new CB. Let`s go!
Tomori was great. Milan are back on track.
Forza Milan
Isak stop foaming over Tomori and be objective, you’re becoming the worst writer for this awesome site. Tomori was 100% an upgrade over Romagnoli today IMO. But he was not MOTM, not even top 3 as Calabria, Rebic, and Kessie were all better. Also Kjaer was better that Tomori today but because he’s not the fresh name he doesn’t get the love.
Same issues with Romagnoli were happening to Tomori today, he was also out of position a ton in the first half but improved significantly in the 2nd half which I love to see. Also, he was dragged too far wide leaving Kjaer exposed and alone and then even needing Kessie to cover for him and almost getting scored on by Mkhitaryan. Last big Roma shot by Mkhitaryan was also not charged down by Tomori and he even ducked away from the shot. Also in the first half he gave the ball away a few times with stray passes. Now that’s me being extra harsh as IMO he was an upgrade over Romagnoli and deserved closer to a 6.5 not a 7.5. Your flavor of the week writing is getting annoying and it feels like you don’t watch the same games or just have a really strong bias and can’t be objective.
The truth is that Tomori was a bright change today and I love his fight and his attitude. He was far from perfect but I like what I saw and if he continues on like this it will be hard not to redeem him and Romagnoli will be the one who has to go most likely.
Now, the bigger point is that regardless of who was at CB (Romagnoli or Tomori) is why the left side looks terribly exposed every single game now. And that is more important that a CB change. The CB change will help a little but will not solve the issue. We barely hung on today and IMO if we keep this high line junk, and keep Theo playing like a winger and don’t change formations we will find it hard to hold on until season’s end. We’re just lucky other teams are struggling too.
I agree with your flavor of the day comment. It’s annoying that all players are heroes and get better points with a win and are all failures with a loss. There’s no balance in the ratings and some players always get a better score even if they played bad while others are always criticised. On the other hand, we’re still reading the articles… Please don’t be so biased and give more objective ratings.
I agree. Tomori, although he was better than Romagnoli, he still has to struggle to polish his performance, especially the erratic loose passes. In my opinion more is expected from Leao and if he expects to keep his appearance on regular basis needs to improve his performance. Kessie yesterday was great who covered a lot of crucial spaces. Brahim should be given more time to play.
It baffles me how Hauge could not even get some minutes in today’s game. Krunic in and not Hauge?. Come on. It’s obviously pioli doesn’t rate him at all.
I agree but Krunic was surprisingly great today. It’s Meite who has been the waste of space.
I really agree with you my brother because I don’t understand why he refuses to allow the young man Hauge to show want he carry inside
Tomori was a breath of fresh air. Excellent display for such an important game. Will only get better. We must pick up his option. I don’t see Romagnoli getting his spot back unless Kajer falters or is injured… Kessie MOTM. Kajer solid as usual. Calabria did well also. Rebic was great until injury.Tonali improving but still needs time. Miss Benacer. Hakan?? Inconsistent his whole time with Milan save for first half of this year. Worried about giving him huge contract but we are kind of stuck. Where is Hauge? Krunic Sammu, and Meite don’t offer much and shouldn’t be with us next season, same with Dalot and Diaz (both not worth spending 20m each IMO). Important victory today and we should be happy.
Tomori seems like he plays better as a right centre back that a left centre back IMO. But this is also the case with Kjaer. I guess the idea is Tomori will.use his pace to cover the deficit but that will eventually come to haunt
Fans be so fickle…not seeing the Pioli bashers in the comments. I guess they can’t articulate the failings of the coach except only when he loses.
Btw Ibra should get a 4 or 5 ifnu want to be fair with the ratings because if it Leao we wouldn’t be hearing the end of it. He basically missed two sitters. one he was trying a fancy backheel and were not even a goal up smh. Shame really. We could have locked off this game so early and gave opportunities to the young guns