AC Milan secured a vital 2-1 win over Verona on Sunday night with Sandro Tonali’s late goal sealing three important points.
The Rossoneri went ahead after just nine minutes following some excellent play from Rafael Leao down the left flank, as his cross was turned into his own net by Miguel Veloso.
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Koray Gunter struck back for the hosts to level things via a big deflection from Matteo Gabbia and it wasn’t until the 81st minute that Milan restored our lead as Tonali broke forward from midfield and cooly finished off the move to secure the victory.
With both Napoli and Atalanta winning this weekend, it was imperative that Milan followed suit to keep up with the pace that they’re setting so far this season, and so we remain three points adrift of the Partenopei after 10 games.
AC Milan player ratings vs Verona
Ciprian Tatarusanu, 6 – Deflection gave him no chance on the goal as it would have been a comfortable save. Alert to danger when needed but needs to improve his decision-making and ability to come off his line to sweep up danger.
Pierre Kalulu, 6.5 – A solid performance defensively as he kept things tight on the right side. Continues to show great versatility and tactical awareness by switching positions.
Matteo Gabbia, 6 – Unfortunate with the deflection for the goal but he showed his improvement both mentally and with his performance to bounce back and put in a good shift for the team.
Fikayo Tomori, 6.5 – Regaining good form after a dip, as he put in another solid shift here to marshal the backline and limit Verona’s threat.
Theo Hernandez, 6 – Showed good intent and pace to break forward into Verona’s half but was wasteful with his final pass. Did his job well defensively to impact the game in both phases.
Sandro Tonali, 7.5 – An important influence throughout with his work rate and technical quality as he battled in midfield, and eventually came up with the game-defining moment. A brilliant run to break forward into space and showed good composure to find the back of the net to secure the win.
Rade Krunic, 6 – Worked hard for the team in a difficult game as he scrapped in the midfield battle to try and establish a foothold and a foundation to build on.
Brahim Diaz, 6 – Continued to probe and tried to find pockets of space in dangerous areas where he can make the difference. Should have had an assist but for Giroud wasting a big chance but found himself limited with Verona’s aggressive press.
Yacine Adli, 6 – Intriguing decision from Stefano Pioli to start him here, and he played his part in helping us get the win. Kept things relatively simple and tidy without trying too much and avoided making mistakes as he settles into the side.
Rafael Leao, 6.5 – Made a crucial contribution with his brilliant play down the left to break forward and force Veloso into a mistake with the own goal. Showed his electric pace and directness again at times but couldn’t quite find a decisive end product as Verona man-marked him.
Olivier Giroud, 5 – Fatigue potentially played a part with the Frenchman as he has relentlessly led the line for us in recent weeks. Was off the mark with his deft touches trying to find teammates in the final third and missed a big chance to make it 2-0 and give the game a completely different complexion. Hopefully will benefit from the break in the second half.
Substitutes:
Divock Origi, 5.5 – Showed glimpses but was off with his end product.
Ante Rebic, 6.5 – A pivotal impact off the bench in the second half. Excellent assist as he set Tonali through on goal and went close himself to getting on the scoresheet prior to that. Exactly what Milan needed in a tight game with fresh legs and a new dynamic in attack.
Ismael Bennacer, 6.5 – Big influence after coming on, set the rhythm and tempo for us as we started to find ways to beat the press and attack with more speed.
Tommaso Pobega, 6 – Battled hard in midfield and gave us a bit more control and presence.
Malick Thiaw, 7 – A brilliant effort in the latter stages as he made two fundamental interventions to keep Verona out and protect our lead with some big blocks.