AC Milan fell to a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and with that result, their involvement in the competition came to an end.
The Rossoneri finish bottom of Group B on our return to Europe’s top table, albeit for a short period it appeared as though we could turn things around and advance having taken the lead.
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However, it wasn’t to be as goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi turned the game on its head after Fikayo Tomori had put us ahead, and so our focus now switches to Serie A and the Coppa Italia, as Milan will be desperate to ensure this will still be regarded as a successful campaign.
AC Milan player ratings vs Liverpool:
Mike Maignan, 5.5 – A poor night by his usual high standards. Should have done better on both goals as his initial saves rebounded straight to Liverpool players who applied the finishes.
Pierre Kalulu, 6 – Fared quite well against Sadio Mane in the first half, but started to struggle after the break before he was replaced just after the hour mark.
Fikayo Tomori, 6.5 – Another strong performance as he proved his importance to the side, especially against this calibre of opponent and the pace with which they play. His error did lead to the second goal which he will no doubt be disappointed with, but also gave us the lead in a top outing.
Alessio Romagnoli, 6.5 – Put in a great shift for the team as he kept things tight in defence and tidy in possession, despite the fear that his lack of pace could be exposed against a pacy Liverpool frontline. An intelligent display, and a good sign with Simon Kjaer out for the rest of the season.
Theo Hernandez, 5 – A sloppy, lacklustre performance from the Frenchman, as he continuously gave the ball away cheaply and was caught out sleeping on the first goal. Needs to step it up and perform at his best level given his importance to the side.
Franck Kessie, 5 – Another key, senior individual who fell short. Failed to win the midfield battle and that in turn led to problems for the entire team in terms of controlling the game. This was another big game in which he struggled, and so question marks will be raised amid the ongoing talks over a contract renewal.
Sandro Tonali, 6.5 – In contrast to his midfield partner, this was another impressive and promising display from Tonali in the heart of the midfield. He looks at home at this level, and that bodes really well for the future. Aggressive and full of energy, he did well up against the pace and tempo of Liverpool before the questionable decision to replace him.
Messias Junior, 6 – Not quite on the same page as his teammates just yet as his movement off the ball was good, but the ball in didn’t arrive. Played his part in forcing the error prior to Tomori’s goal.
Brahim Diaz, 5.5 – To his credit, he tried his best to try and make something happen in the final third. However, it just didn’t work for him on the night as he perhaps tried too much at times too, and the lack of support around him made life even more difficult.
Rade Krunic, 6.5 – Did a decent job as he fought hard throughout and put in a shift for his teammates. Showed some quality touches too, and so it was a positive effort from him.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 5 – Perhaps it’s too early to react but seemed to really struggle to have any sort of influence on our play. Outmuscled, too static and unable to even link play up as he failed to offer a direct goal threat himself. A disappointing night, and a performance that arguably asks the question, do we need to upgrade as soon as next summer to be competitive against the top sides, like Liverpool, in Europe?
Substitutions:
Ismael Bennacer, 6 – Did his best to push the tempo and keep us probing, and while that was positive to see, he didn’t get a great deal of support to be effective.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 6 – Tried his best to impact the game by getting on the ball as often as possible but couldn’t find a breakthrough.
Alessandro Florenzi, 5.5 – Struggled to give us that fresh impetus down the right flank and so wasn’t a particularly effective change from Pioli.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, N/A