AC Milan secured a 2-0 win over Bologna at San Siro on Saturday with goals from Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud sealing the three points.
The Rossoneri were looking to get back to winning ways after we were held by Atalanta in Bergamo last weekend, and although we weren’t at our best, we produced a solid performance to see off a battling Bologna side.
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A goal either side of half-time from Leao and Giroud were enough to move us to seven points from three games so far this season, and while Stefano Pioli will be pleased with the defensive display as we successfully limited Bologna’s attacking threat, there is still work to be done on our attacking play to reach our best form.
AC Milan player ratings vs Bologna:
Mike Maignan, 6 – Didn’t have a great deal to do, but was on hand to step in and deny Bologna a sniff at goal when needed both with their attempts at goal and their deliveries into the box.
Davide Calabria, 6.5 – Another solid shift as he was switched on defensively and pushed forward to offer us an attacking outlet and width when possible too. Continues to be a reliable presence on that side of the backline.
Pierre Kalulu, 7 – Another excellent display as his reading of the game, recovery pace, aggressiveness and all-round defensive qualities have developed so well in a short space of time. Continuously cut out danger as Bologna tested us.
Fikayo Tomori, 6.5 – A relatively quiet outing for him as he kept things simple and used his physicality and aggressive style of defending well to get in and intervene early in Bologna attacks.
Theo Hernandez, 6 – Not as influential as he can be, as although he did make his usual marauding runs forward down the left flank, wasn’t able to directly impact our attacking play. Nonetheless, a positive performance in both phases of the game.
Sandro Tonali, 6 – Still looks like he’s searching for full fitness and match sharpness as looked to be struggling physically at times. However, a tidy display as he kept things ticking and disrupted things in midfield throughout too.
Ismael Bennacer, 7.5 – Another superb performance as he’s reading things so well in midfield off the ball to nip in and cut attacks short for the opposition, while also playing quick, snappy passes to get us moving up the pitch quickly. Especially with Tonali still working his way to his best form, ran things for us in midfield.
Messias Junior, 5 – Pioli stressed in his post-match interviews that he’s happy with his options on the right wing. On one hand, it’s understandable as Messias in particular provides balance with the defensive work he puts in as we tend to attack down the left. However, we surely still need an upgrade who can provide that defensive dirty work as well as more quality on the ball.
Charles De Ketelaere, 7.5 – A very promising first start in a Milan shirt, as he showed creativity, flair and inventiveness in the No.10 role to get the San Siro faithful excited. Grabbed an assist for Leao’s goal, and used his vision and passing ability well thereafter to carve open opportunities for others.
Rafael Leao, 7 – Decisive as he broke the deadlock and then provided the assist for Giroud to double our lead and kill the game off. Still looks a little off the pace though which is perhaps too critical, as he often gave up on errant passes and failed to track back on a few occasions. Nevertheless, he did his job brilliantly from an attacking perspective to win the game for us.
Olivier Giroud, 7 – Did well at times with his hold up play and ability to bring others into it, and capped it off with a superb goal with a top finish to make the game safe for us.
Substitutes:
Alexis Saelemaekers, 6 – Looked lively and tested Skorupski. However, still lacking that real quality with his final ball to make a decisive impact.
Tommaso Pobega, 6 – A steady presence in midfield as he added composure and calmness with his passing while also working hard off the ball to protect our lead.
Yacine Adli, 6 – Similar to Pobega but was particularly impressive with his work ethic out of possession as he pressed and hurried Bologna on the ball.
Fode Ballo-Toure, N/A
Matteo Gabbia, N/A