AC Milan battled to a 1-0 win over Cagliari on Saturday night to take another small step towards the Serie A title.
The Rossoneri made it hard work in Sardinia, although the hosts were also a difficult proposition as they continue to fight off the threat of relegation, but Ismael Bennacer’s second-half strike was enough to secure all three points.
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Coupled with Inter dropping points again this week, albeit Scudetto rivals Napoli also won, Milan have eight games remaining now and know that if we can continue to win out from here, we’ll end our long wait for another league crown.
For now, the focus will be on Bologna after the international break, and it’s hoped Bennacer will continue to shine as he has been in impressive form in recent weeks.
AC Milan player ratings vs Cagliari:
Mike Maignan, 6.5 – Alert when called upon as he also organised the backline well to help us keep another crucial clean sheet.
Davide Calabria, 6.5 – Tireless shift down the right flank as he battled hard defensively to not allow Cagliari joy down his side and pushed forward whenever possible to provide width and an attacking outlet.
Pierre Kalulu, 7 – Didn’t have to do as much defending as recent weeks as we controlled the game, but ultimately showed his strength and pace when needed to keep things tight again.
Fikayo Tomori, 6.5 – Good distribution out from the back but also defended well as he cleared countless crosses into the box. Key part of the backline performance to shut Cagliari out.
Theo Hernandez, 6.5 – A real threat down the left flank which provided good balance with Calabria on the opposite side. Added burst of pace and his directness was key particularly with Leao being quiet.
Franck Kessie, 6.5 – Put in an important shift for the team in midfield, as he pressured and pressed Cagliari in possession and gave us much-needed physicality and presence in the middle.
Ismael Bennacer, 7.5 – Another stellar performance capped off with the winning goal. Was tireless in his work out of possession and kept the ball moving quickly from his defensive position. Took his goal brilliantly too with a great strike from the edge of the box to seal all three points.
Messias Junior, 5.5 – Continues to show a lack of quality and cutting edge in the final third. Had openings, but couldn’t take advantage as he cut inside onto his left foot but didn’t really trouble Cagliari.
Brahim Diaz, 6 – A smart performance in many ways as he kept pulling the Cagliari midfield around the pitch and create openings for his teammates. That was evident in the build-up to our goal with his pass into Giroud, and so although he isn’t decisive enough still, made a decent contribution.
Rafael Leao, 5 – Quiet game for him as he couldn’t provide much of a threat against a Cagliari defence sitting back deep and not allowing him space to run in behind. We need him to be at his best and most dangerous after the break to help us over the line.
Olivier Giroud, 6.5 – Missed a big chance early on which he’ll be disappointed with, but continued to battle hard and provide us with a target up top. It was his lay off that led to Bennacer’s goal, and that was a crucial contribution in the scheme of the game as little bits of quality like that will make all the difference at this stage of the season with tensions high.
Substitutes:
Ante Rebic, 6 – Energetic effort off the bench as he gave us a lift in the latter stages and a fresh set of legs to get about Cagliari.
Rade Krunic, 6 – Did his job well as he helped us see out the game with his usual calm and controlled play on and off the ball.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 5 – Missed another big chance late on. Has to be better at killing off games for us as he’s had a few like that in recent weeks.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, N/A
