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AC Milan clinched a massive win against Napoli thanks to fighting spirit and individual brilliance. Some players did really well and below are the ratings for the Rossoneri.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.
Starting XI
Maignan (7): The goalkeeper made two good saves in the first half, and he managed to build on that in the second half with a few more. One shaky moment with his feet but other than that, a very good display with some good saves as the icing on the cake.
Tomori (6.5): He nearly caused a penalty with a slightly late challenge on McTominay, which showcased one of his main weaknesses, but the defending was good aside from that. He had to come off with an injury, but hopefully it’s nothing serious.
Gabbia (7): Good positioning was the key for him tonight as he was constantly close to whoever was in the No.9 role for Napoli. First Hojlund and then Lucca, which was nice to see, and he interchanged well with Pavlovic in the box when needed.
Pavlovic (7.5): Fighting spirit and grit from him tonight, along with some quality sequences. The run that set up the second goal is an example of that, while he also won many duels against the Napoli players towards the end. Allegri’s system suits him really well.
Saelemaekers (6.5): He started the game really well with the goal, making his way into the box with the right timing, but sadly he failed to build on that positive. He struggled in defence, leaving his man unmarked several times in the box, and he was also very sloppy in the build-up which could’ve been very costly for Milan. It was right to take him off.
Fofana (7): One can definitely see why Allegri insists on starting him, as the movement is world-class at times. Whether it’s the defensive or attacking phase, he consistently picks up good spaces and the assist for Pulisic showed that. If it hadn’t been for the miss, which I believe was big, then the rating would have been higher.
Modric (8): Good passing, work-rate, movement and so on. All the things we have become used to seeing from the Croatian at the start of this season. He also got a slight deflection on Neres’ shot at the end, which kept it from hitting the back of the net. I’m still so impressed by his work-rate, even late in the games.
Rabiot (7.5): We saw good things from him in possession, but it was mainly the work-rate and defensive efforts (particularly in the pressing) that made him stand out today. The blocked shot at the end was a great example of just how hard he works from start to finish.
Estupinan (4): He was decent before the red card, but it goes without saying I cannot give a good rating here. Everything happened very fast but the hard truth is that he lost his man at the back post and tried to take a shortcut. It proved to be very costly and put his teammates in a very difficult situation.
Pulisic (9 – MOTM): He continues to amaze us with his quality and determination. The run before the first goal was absolutely stunning, in every sense of the word, and the fact that he bagged a goal himself too shows just how good his form is right now. He can’t seem to do anything wrong. Pivotal for Milan.
Gimenez (6): The striker didn’t get any chances to score, basically, but he worked incredibly hard in the pressing phase. I would even go as far as to say that he was crucial for Milan in the period when they really put Napoli in difficulty. Still, we need to see more from him in possession.
Substitutes
Bartesaghi (6.5): It wasn’t an easy situation, given that Napoli pushed on immediately, but he did well and remained composed in the 1v1s.
Leao (6): He sort of did what he was brought on to do, i.e. keeping Milan from getting too low and forcing Napoli to preserve some defensive strength. However, he could’ve been better in possession and also in the defending at times.
Athekame (6.5): Not always brilliant on the ball, but he showed commitment and hard work by running up and down the flank.
De Winter (6.5): The Belgian got to make a couple of crucial clearances, including on one pretty dangerous cross, so it was a good performance off the bench.
Loftus-Cheek (6): He did what was required and almost a little more, but it’s hard to give higher than a 6 here.
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