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AC Milan clinched their first three points of the season with a 2-0 win away at Lecce. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was one of the goalscorers and below are the player 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 (6): He wasn’t really called into action, except for one low save which he handled well. There isn’t really anything else to say.
Tomori (5.5): While the defensive display was okay, most of the time anyway, he committed a few too many fouls for my liking. He also lacked some passing ability in the build-up in a few key moments, especially when Milan struggled to play out the back.
Gabbia (6): I said last week that we needed to see a more commanding display and today was a step in the right direction. He cleared several dangerous passes and almost had a goal as well after just a few minutes. Rightfully disallowed, but decent overall from him tonight.
Pavlovic (6): Truth be told, the Serbian came close to getting a 5.5 here. He got done one too many times in the first half, leading to some good chances for Lecce, but he improved a lot in the second half. Above all, he helped open up things with his runs forward. One stood out, when he ran the length of the pitch and set up Gimenez.
Musah (6): Many like to give him criticism, but today it must be said that he was far from a problem. Not even in the first half, as he was involved in the few chances that Milan created then, with the cut-back for RLC and then a nice pass behind the defence for Modric. Having said that, it was nothing to brag about.
Loftus-Cheek (7): The goal obviously does a lot for his rating here, and rightfully so given the importance and how good that header was (almost with his back facing the goal). In open play, the first half was pretty rough but he found better positions in the second, allowing Milan to play more vertical passes.
Modric (7.5 – MOTM): You almost feel sorry for him at times, or at least I did in the first half. Milan didn’t have any confidence in the build-up then and the Croatian was the only one who played vertical passes. In the end, he got a very nice assist (two if you count Gabbia’s disallowed goal) and played an instrumental role overall. A few misplaced passes to note, but insignificant ones.
Fofana (5.5): It’s a difficult one to assess because, on the one hand, he didn’t really add much to the game for a player in his role. He did, however, put Gimenez through on goal with a good pass and had a decent effort towards the end. Still, I’m leaning more to 5.5 than 6.
Estupinan (5.5): The second half was better, let’s just say that straight away, but if he plays like in the first half then Milan have a problem. He’s super left-footed, even more so than Theo, and this creates some issues. He lost the ball once and Lecce should have scored from that. Again, better in the second half but a better opponent would have punished him.
Gimenez (5.5): Sadly, tonight wasn’t a performance that strengthened his position. Yes, he was unlucky with the offside goal after a good touch and finish, but he missed a huge chance in the first half. There was also a good opportunity when Pavlovic set him up. The rating is improved by the good action on the disallowed goal and the involvement (somewhat) in the second goal.
Saelemaekers (6.5): He continues to be a very useful player, working hard in both phases, moving up and down as well as sideways. The feeling was that he tried to overdo things in the first half, but he found his composure in the second with the disallowed assist for Gimenez (narrow offside) and then the free-kick one that Milan scored on.
Substitutes
Pulisic (7): We didn’t really see that much from him before the goal, but he displayed good awareness and above all, composure to find the back of the net. Let’s hope he recovers from the ankle discomfort fully so that he can start again.
Ricci (6): He forced Falcone to a good save with a nice shot from a narrow angle, and picked up some good positions. Perhaps should have had a penalty too but that was more so due to a clumsy Lecce defender rather than brilliance.
Balentien (N/A): Nice to see the Milan Futuro’s new signing playing, but I didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
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