AC Milan secured a superb 3-0 win away at Juventus on Sunday night, picking up a major boost in the ongoing battle for Champions League qualification.
The Rossoneri went into the game down in fifth place in the Serie A table, with the pressure on us to find a result and get back into a commanding position in the scrap for a top-four finish.
READ MORE: Lessons not learned as Donnarumma’s Milan contract saga rumbles on
In what was an evenly contested showdown, it took two brilliant moments of quality from Brahim Diaz and Ante Rebic respectively to give us a two-goal lead, before FIkayo Tomori headed in a third to make the game safe.
That now puts us in a much stronger position as we sit in third place with a three-point cushion over Juventus with three games to go, and it’s hoped this result can help us build momentum to finish the campaign strong.
Milan player ratings vs Juventus
Gianluigi Donnarumma, 6.5 – Stepped up when needed to produce key saves, but wasn’t particular busy as his defence and the team stepped up as a whole to provide solid protection.
Davide Calabria, 7 – Excellent defensively as he shut down the Juve threat down their left flank, with Chiesa and Ronaldo failing to find much joy on his side. Pushed forward when possible too in order to provide support.
Simon Kjaer, 7.5 – Solid shift from our defensive lynchpin as he marshalled the backline well and didn’t let much pass him with Alvaro Morata struggling to have any joy up against him.
Fikayo Tomori, 8 – After his recent struggles, produced a response of real quality at just the right time. Similarly to Kjaer, he shut down the Juve threat through the middle and even had time to go up the other end and score a goal for himself.
Theo Hernandez, 7 – Much improved from the left-back as he carried out his defensive duties well and bombed forward to great effective to offer us width, attacking impetus and energy.
Franck Kessie, 6.5 – A solid performance as he gave us a foothold in midfield with his energy and physicality. His missed penalty could have proven to be costly but fortunately we managed to get the win regardless.
Ismael Bennacer, 7.5 – Brilliant display from our midfield engine room in both phases of the game as he was classy on the ball and non-stop off it in trying to win possession back for us. A real return to form in a big moment for us.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 7 – Good shift for the team as he showed quality in attack at times but provided us with work-rate on the right side to help the team as a whole control Juve’s threat and the game itself.
Brahim Diaz, 8 – A huge call to start him after so many weeks on the bench, but Pioli’s decision was rewarded with a sublime goal right on the stroke of half-time. Played a key role in our attacking play before having to come off with a knock.
Hakan Calhanoglu, 7 – Improved as the game went on as he adjusted to his new role on left while floating around the final third. Involved in the build-up to two of our goals, did his bit for the team from a defensive perspective too.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 6 – It’s hoped that the injury that forced him off isn’t serious, as although he couldn’t offer a direct threat on goal, his leadership and ability to provide a focal point for us up top was key. His presence and experience was vital in this game, and will continue to be so in the remaining three outings.
Substitutes:
Ante Rebic, 7.5 – A stunning strike to double our lead, it was absolutely the right decision to bring him on after Ibrahimovic was forced off with an injury. The Croatian certainly made his case to be starting.
Rade Krunic, 6 – Did his job well after coming on in the second half to help us shore things up and try and control proceedings.
Soualiho Meite, N/A
Diogo Dalot, N/A