1 hour ago
24
AC Milan clinched their third win on the trot as Christian Pulisic took matters into his own hands against Udinese. 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
Terracciano (6.5): Udinese had a mere four shots on target and, if my memory serves me right, they were all pretty much straight at the keeper. The slightly higher rating here is thus thanks to his passing, which was good throughout the game.
Tomori (7): Just like last time out, the defending was very solid and even great at times, keeping the Udinese wingers at bay. The one thing he did add tonight, however, was the passing ability as we saw several break-the-lines passes from the Englishman, including just before the third goal which created the whole attack.
Gabbia (6.5): You could make the argument that he deserves a 7 as well, but Udinese never really managed to threaten the centre of Milan’s defence. It was still a good evening for the captain, don’t get me wrong, but he didn’t even need to show that little extra like his defensive colleagues did.
Pavlovic (7): A fantastic physical display from him, I actually lost count of how many times he shielded the ball out for a goalkick. He also added a lot in attack with his bursting runs, working tirelessly in both phases.
Saelemaekers (7): There wasn’t a huge difference between tonight’s performance and the one we saw against Bologna, but that’s a good thing. He fought hard for every single ball, showcased his skill in possession and also tracked back. He can still improve with the final touch but his work-rate is out of this world.
Fofana (7): He managed to find some good positions between the lines, and every time he got the passes, a teammate was often found. In short, he was composed in possession and that goal also proved that, with a nice finish to beat the keeper. Overall, though, it was a pretty standard performance.
Modric (8): It feels like we will say it every week, but his ability to find space and, above all, find his teammates is so impressive. It sounded like some of the Udinese fans applauded him as he was subbed off as well, which isn’t surprising at all given how important he was today.
Rabiot (7.5): Even in complicated situations, he always manages to remain calm and that really helped Milan today. It almost looked like he toyed with the Udinese players at times, finding ways through with passes or runs of his own. His presence in the defensive phase cannot be denied either.
Estupinan (7): That’s more like it! There have been some question marks regarding the left-back but tonight, he was impressive. He should have had an assist thanks to a perfectly-weighted pass for Gimenez, but the striker missed, and we saw some nice throw-ins as well. He was also a lot more involved, in a good way.
Pulisic (8.5 – MOTM): Back from start with a bang. He worked incredibly hard throughout the game, receiving a lot of knocks as well, but he was rewarded with the first goal. Then, he got the assist for Fofana through clever defending, before finding the back of the net again with a proper ‘confidence’ goal. No hesitation, just turn and shoot. Fantastic stuff.
Gimenez (5): I really hope this doesn’t turn into a weekly thing, i.e. criticising the Mexican. At least he only missed one big chance today, but it was really one he needed to convert. He also hesitated in other moments, so there is clearly a confidence issue.
Substitutes
Loftus-Cheek (6.5): The Englishman came close immediately with a good run into the box and a subsequent header. On top of that, he won quite a lot of aerial duels and also showcased some good ‘dummy moves’ to trick the defenders.
Nkunku (6): He still needs time to become more familiar with Milan’s style of play, but there’s no doubt that he has quality on the ball. Now we just need the runs to be perfect as well.
Ricci (6.5): We saw some really nice passes from him out there tonight, and he must be knocking on the door for a starting spot in the league soon. Perhaps the Coppa Italia clash will tell us more in that sense.
De Winter (6): Decent defending, even if Udinese didn’t exactly test Milan a whole lot.
Athekame (N/A): A few encouraging runs, but I didn’t see enough to give a proper rating.
English (US) ·