AC Milan secured a 3-1 win over Roma at San Siro on Sunday in an important win for our top-four aspirations in Serie A this season.
It’s been a disappointing season to date for the Rossoneri as we’ve fallen off the pace at the top of the table and exited the Champions League and Coppa Italia, and so it’s about what we can salvage between now and the end of the campaign.
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Qualifying for a seat at the top table in Europe will be fundamental, and so seeing off Roma to extend the gap to the chasing pack was vital, with goals from Yacine Adli, Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez sealing all three points.
Importantly now though, Milan must follow this up and put together a run of wins and avoid the inconsistency that has blighted our year so far, and so Stefano Pioli and the players will know there is a long way to go yet.
AC Milan player ratings vs Roma:
Mike Maignan, 7 – Made crucial interventions in a key performance as although he was well beaten for Roma’s penalty, played his part in helping us secure the win.
Davide Calabria, 6 – Marked down for the foul that led to the penalty, but put in a solid shift aside from that error as he was solid defensively and kept things tight on that side.
Simon Kjaer, 6.5 – Important display to help limit Lukaku’s threat as he used his experience well to master his positioning and reading of the game. Produced a crucial assist for Giroud’s goal with a great header across goal too.
Matteo Gabbia, 6.5 – Another strong effort as he did well in conjunction with Kjaer to keep Lukaku out of the game and defended well throughout. Will be disappointed he didn’t do better with an effort at the other end of the pitch with a chance to score.
Theo Hernandez, 7.5 – A real boost to see him back in his natural position, as it reintroduced the key attacking dynamic he brings to the team when he’s marauding down the left flank. Took his goal brilliantly with a thunderous finish after impressive link-up play with Giroud.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 6 – Physically imposing and an important presence in the midfield battle. Didn’t always get his touch or decision-making right in advanced areas, but played a key role.
Yacine Adli, 7.5 – Great moment for him to get his first goal for the club, and he took it with real class he showed composure and a fine finish. Combative presence in midfield too as he showed good signs in both phases of the game.
Tijjani Reijnders, 6.5 – Energetic and tireless in his work throughout as usual, and continues to help us tick over in possession with accurate passing to set an important tempo to our play with intelligence on and off the ball.
Christian Pulisic, 6.5 – Industrious and clever in his movement off the ball as well as with his decision-making on it. Not able to make a decisive impact on the game, but an important shift from him nonetheless.
Olivier Giroud, 7.5 – Showed good positioning and instinct to be in the perfect spot to head home his goal, and then produced a wonderful flick to set Theo through for his goal and our third. Fundamental impact in the win.
Rafael Leao, 6 – Not at his influential best as we know he’s capable of being destructive for the opposition’s defence, but still played a limited part in helping us get the job done.
Substitutes:
Noah Okafor, N/A
Yunus Musah, N/A
Kevin Zeroli, N/A
Alex Jimenez, N/A
