AC Milan produced a devastatingly ruthless and clinical performance on Wednesday night in our 7-0 win over Torino as we edge closer to Champions League qualification.
The Rossoneri were without Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to injury, but even the absence of our talismanic leader wasn’t enough to deny us returning home with all three points.
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Ante Rebic helped himself to a quick-fire hat-trick in the second half, while Theo Hernandez bagged a brace. Brahim Diaz and Franck Kessie were also on the scoresheet as we secured a comprehensive victory in Turin, and in turn put ourselves just one more win away from sealing a return to the Champions League.
Victory over Cagliari on Sunday night will ensure we finish in the top four in Serie A, and so Stefano Pioli and the players will know that the job isn’t quite done just yet.
Milan player ratings vs Torino:
Gianluigi Donnarumma, 7 – Had very little to do as his teammates dominated the game. Produced one key save in the first half, but enjoyed a quiet night overall.
Davide Calabria, 7.5 – Almost bagged himself a goal but was called offside, while he was solid defensively and allowed nothing down Torino’s left flank.
Simon Kjaer, 7 – Soldiered on despite taking a couple of heavy knocks, and while he wasn’t overly troubled, still produced a top performance at the back.
Fikayo Tomori, 7 – Similar to his central defensive partner in that they both linked up well to provide defensive cover when necessary, but it was a quiet night for them in general. Will be delighted with another clean sheet.
Theo Hernandez, 8.5 – Two brilliant goals as he has returned to his usual high levels this week in terms of the attacking threat that he can pose. Didn’t need to do much defensively, but was devastating going forward.
Franck Kessie, 8.5 – Another top-class performance from Il Presidente. Made no mistake from the penalty spot this time, could and perhaps should have had more, but was dominant in midfield and covered so much ground to control the game for us.
Ismael Bennacer, 7 – Produced a good display in the first half, but the booking ensured that he was sensibly replaced at half-time as Pioli knew he couldn’t afford seeing us go down to 10 men.
Samu Castillejo, 7 – Got off to a slow start but gradually got involved in the game. Won the penalty and hit the post, and his energy is always valuable to the team in our pressing high up the pitch.
Hakan Calhanoglu, 7.5 – Almost cost us dearly with a lapse in concentration, but he contributed in pulling the strings for us through the course of the game even if he didn’t directly have a major impact on proceedings.
Brahim Diaz, 8.5 – Picked up from where he left off against Juventus as he is clearly playing with confidence and freedom now. Took his goal well and was integral in our build-up play in the final third. Making a strong case late on in his loan spell for Milan to keep him.
Ante Rebic, 9 – Devastating in front of goal to produce a quick-fire hat-trick, and picked up an assist for Hernandez’s second goal. A brilliant display from the Croatian striker, as he had big boots to fill with Ibrahimovic out, but he provided his own qualities and strengths and led us to a commanding victory.
Substitutes:
Soualiho Meite, 6.5 – Solid performance in the second half, giving us more steeliness in midfield to continue to control the game.
Rade Krunic, 7.5 – Two assists for Rebic as he made a decisive contribution off the bench.
Diogo Dalot, 6.5 – Fresh legs and provided more attacking impetus for us.
Rafael Leao, 7 – Did brilliantly to give Rebic an easy finish as he used his pace well in the latter stages.
Mario Mandzukic, N/A