AC Milan dropped more costly points in midweek as we were held to a 1-1 draw by Cremonese in another blow to our Champions League qualification hopes.
The Rossoneri were poor throughout as Stefano Pioli opted to rotate his side, and having been punished as we conceded in the second half and risked falling to defeat, it looked particularly bleak heading into added time.
READ MORE: Battling Milan rescue draw but ongoing concern persists
Fortunately, we were able to find a late breakthrough and pick up a point, but it’s another damaging draw that has seen us lose ground on our rivals in the battle for a top-four finish in Serie A.
Ahead of facing Lazio this weekend, Milan are now sixth in the standings, three points adrift of Inter who currently occupy fourth spot, as we now have to hope results elsewhere go our way while having to win our remaining five games.
AC Milan player ratings vs Cremonese:
Mike Maignan, 6 – Quiet game with very little to do, will be disappointed that he couldn’t prevent the goal conceded but after being left badly exposed by his defenders, Okereke deserves credit for a good finish too.
Davide Calabria, 6 – A solid shift as he was disciplined defensively and pushed forward to offer support when possible. A decent effort.
Pierre Kalulu, 5 – Played well for the most part to limit Cremonese, but then made a huge error that led to the goal. Rather than help Thiaw deal with the danger, he got tangled up with his teammate and took him out to gift Okereke a big chance which he took.
Malick Thiaw, 6 – Will be frustrated with the way in which we conceded, but it was a positive performance from him prior to that. His reading of the game, positioning and strength all made it a relatively comfortable night’s work in a commanding display.
Fode Ballo-Toure, 5 – Came under pressure at times defensively but doesn’t really offer enough going forward. Keeps it simple but we need him to offer a bigger threat or at least a reliable attacking outlet down that left flank.
Ismael Bennacer, 6 – Did well in helping us dictate the tempo and dominate possession by keeping things ticking over in midfield. Replaced at half-time as we looked for a different dynamic.
Aster Vranckx, 5.5 – Decent start to the game but gradually waned as it went on. His role and job changed after Bennacer was replaced, but he’ll likely feel as though he could have done more in a rare opportunity to impress in the starting XI.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 6 – Looked to be our biggest threat in the final third. Had an effort ruled out for offside and put a chance on a plate for Diaz which he wasted. Not always a great deal of quality about his work, but a spark at times that was badly needed in another drab performance.
Brahim Diaz, 5 – Wasteful in front of goal as he spurned some big opportunities that would have been huge moments in the game to turn it in our favour. No excuse for the miss from Saelemaekers’ cross, has to head that into the back of the net with no fuss and that would have changed the entire complexion of the game.
Divock Origi, 5 – Bright start and caused problems with a couple of efforts on goal. However, not clinical enough and then faded as the encounter went on and became more scrappy and tense. Not enough from our chief depth option up top, and that’s been an ongoing theme this season.
Charles De Ketelaere, 5 – Get the sense that his struggles are continuing to weigh heavily on him. Had some big moments and potential opportunities, but squandered them and wasn’t able to grab the game and really influence it as we would have hoped to see.
Substitutes:
Rade Krunic, 5,5 – Didn’t change things significantly but threatened late on and almost won it. Pioli would have been hoping for more influence from him in midfield to carve Cremonese open.
Olivier Giroud, 5 – Similarly to Krunic, aside from offering more of a physical presence and target up top, didn’t have the desired impact on the game as we chased a result.
Rafael Leao, 5.5 – Added a creative spark immediately but couldn’t find an end product. Diaz wasted a chance he created before Leao himself then dragged a big opportunity wide where he should have done better.
Sandro Tonali, 5 – Gave us fresh impetus in midfield but again, it was one of those games so devoid of quality that he couldn’t lift our level.
Junior Messias, 5.5 – His late free-kick forced the equaliser and secured a point at least.