AC Milan battled to a 2-1 win over Sampdoria at the Luigi Ferraris on Saturday night, despite being reduced to 10 men in the second half after Rafael Leao’s sending off.
The Rossoneri took the lead in the first half after excellent build-up play saw the ball fall to Messias Jr who made no mistake and found the back of the net from close range, albeit the goalkeeper could have done better.
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Milan were in control of both possession and the tempo of the game in the opening 45 minutes, but the only concern was that we hadn’t made the most of it and finished off our chances, thus giving Sampdoria a chance to get back into it after the interval.
With Leao receiving a second yellow card just minutes into the restart, things became increasingly complicated for Milan as the hosts grew in confidence, but Olivier Giroud made no mistake from the penalty spot to restore our lead before Stefano Pioli’s side produced a resolute defensive display to protect that advantage and hold out for all three points.
Having seen both Napoli and Inter win close games earlier in the day, Milan needed to respond and pick up a key win amid a hectic schedule, and so the outcome would have come as a big relief for Pioli and the players.
AC Milan player ratings vs Sampdoria:
Mike Maignan, 7 – Didn’t have a great deal to do but commanded his box well and claimed crosses with ease. Little he could have done to deny the equaliser, but was alert when needed.
Davide Calabria, 7 – Showed plenty of determination in a gritty performance, as he was solid defensively and battled for second balls to make key interventions throughout as he led by example as captain to help us through.
Simon Kjaer, 7.5 – Top performance from the experienced stalwart, as he was switched on defensively throughout and showed leadership and composure after we went down to 10 men to lead the way at the back.
Pierre Kalulu, 6 – Not at his best in this one as he was sloppy in possession at times, but continues to show improvement and development in his all-round game to be a reliable defensive pillar.
Theo Hernandez, 6.5 – Saw more from him in an attacking sense as he pushed forward down the left flank often, and more so after Leao’s red card to give us width and an option down that flank. Also put in a top defensive shift.
Sandro Tonali, 7.5 – Showed class, composure and grittiness in abundance as he dug in as we defended our lead and showed quality in possession as well. This is the standard and level that he has set for himself, now it’s about finding consistency to deliver this every week as he celebrates his contract extension with a crucial win.
Tommaso Pobega, 6.5 – Continues to showcase his ability to be a key part of this squad. Physical, tidy in possession and willing to get stuck into tackles, he will only get better with more experience and more playing time in this team and system to build a better understanding of our style as well as chemistry with his teammates.
Messias Jr, 6.5 – Scored an important goal to break the deadlock, and put in an important defensive shift throughout as he worked tirelessly down the right side to give us balance by supporting Calabria when possible.
Charles De Ketelaere, 6 – Continues to display glimpses of his quality and is slowly getting more involved in our build-up play with better positioning so his teammates can find him in good areas where he can hurt the opposition. Still work to do though, but no reason to think he won’t gradually become a fundamental figure for us.
Rafael Leao, 6 – A real blow to lose him to suspension against Napoli, but he did play a vital role before his sending off. It was his charge that led to our opening goal and he was a constant menace down that left flank with his pace, skill and directness. Both cautions were harsh, but Milan must now find a way to cope without him next weekend.
Olivier Giroud, 7.5 – Another decisive goal aside, his movement, work ethic, determination and teamwork all made this performance a really enjoyable one to watch. Put everything he had into the display to lead the line and act as a first line of defence, and so it was great to see him seal all three points with a superb penalty.
Substitutes:
Fikayo Tomori, 6 – Added more solidity in defence as Pioli switched to a back three and helped us see out the win.
Ismael Bennacer, 6 – Played a key role in breaking things up and disrupting Sampdoria’s play in midfield in the latter stages.
Aster Vranckx, N/A
