AC Milan suffered a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with the Rossoneri second best for most of the Anfield showdown.
The hosts took the lead early on through what was given as a Fikayo Tomori own goal after an unfortunate deflection on Trent Alexander Arnold’s shot, but it was Milan who struck back just before half-time.
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Goals from Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz in the space of two minutes turned the game on its head, but Mohamed Salah bagged an equaliser for Liverpool just three minutes after the restart before Jordan Henderson fired in the winner after 69 minutes.
It was nervous performance from Milan throughout as we struggled to hold on to the ball for large periods, but our mini fightback before half-time was a real positive and it was certainly a big learning experience for the players.
Milan player ratings vs Liverpool
Mike Maignan, 7.5 – Only possible criticism is for Liverpool’s second goal as he seemed to hesitate when rushing out, but produced save after save on a busy night in which he showed his class and also denied Salah from the penalty spot.
Davide Calabria, 6 – Didn’t get enough protection and subsequently had a really difficult night trying to contain Diogo Jota and Andy Robertson who attacked with real intent and urgency.
Simon Kjaer, 7.5 – A solid display from our defensive stalwart and he stood up and made his presence felt under real pressure. Liverpool were able to attack our backline too easily and too often, but along with his central defensive partner, they produced a really good performance to deny the hosts on countless occasions.
Fikayo Tomori, 7.5 – Similarly to Kjaer, put in a brilliant shift. Was aggressive and switched on throughout, leading to countless interceptions, blocks as well as composed and accurate distribution out from the back. Looked in real control when his teammates around him were struggling.
Theo Hernandez, 6 – Looked to be among those who were feeling the nerves of the occasion. His night wasn’t made any easier having to deal with both Salah and Alexander Arnold with a lack of help from Rafael Leao. Continued to work hard and was key in the build-up to our second.
Franck Kessie, 6 – Got better as the game went on and settled into a rhythm, but was missing early on and was sloppy in possession as he failed to give us a vital foothold in the game when trying to weather the early storm from Liverpool.
Ismael Bennacer, 5.5 – Doesn’t look fully fit yet as he laboured around the pitch slightly and wasn’t as sharp and disruptive as he can be in front of the backline. A big learning experience for him and Kessie, as our midfield duo need to get back to being the dominant pairing they were last season.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 6.5 – Struggled early on along with the rest of his teammates, but continued to work hard and ran tirelessly to try and give us something in both phases.
Brahim Diaz, 6.5 – Really bright at times as he looked to turn into space and get us into dangerous situations. Did well to follow up and get our second goal in an otherwise difficult game given the intensity and pressure from the Liverpool midfield.
Rafael Leao, 6 – Did well in the build-up to our first goal, but it was another frustrating offering from Leao given the quality that he possesses. We needed his pace and movement on the counter but never really saw much of it, and he lost Alexander Arnold for the opening goal as he struggled to track back.
Ante Rebic, 6.5 – It was always going to be a difficult night for him in terms of not being left isolated up front. Bided his time and once again showed class in the final third through his goal and his contribution leading up to the second. Continues to do a really important job up front.
Substitutions
Alessandro Florenzi, 5 – Didn’t really do much to impact the game after coming on and appeared to fail to mark Henderson at the edge of the box for the decisive third Liverpool goal.
Olivier Giroud, 5.5 – Had his moments when attacking some good deliveries into the box, but couldn’t find the touch to get us back into the game.
Sandro Tonali, 6 – Showed good personality and courage after coming on, imposing himself on the game and trying to give us a lift in the latter stages.
Daniel Maldini, N/A