Milan ran riot at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi on Sunday afternoon, thumping relegation-battling Hellas Verona 3-1. Stefano Pioli’s side delivered another emphatic attacking performance to extend their away winning streak against Gialloblu to five games.
After wasting a flurry of promising chances in the opening half an hour, including hitting the woodwork twice, Milan grabbed a well-deserved lead on the stroke of halftime. Theo Hernandez showed why many consider him the best left-back in Europe to break the deadlock in the 44th minute.
Though the Frenchman had the luck to see two fortunate rebounds fall straight into his stride, it takes nothing away from his brilliant individual quality. It didn’t take long before Milan doubled their lead at the start of the second half.
Christian Pulisic latched onto a rebound inside Verona’s six-yard box, slotting the ball into an empty net after Lorenzo Montipo impressively thwarted Noah Okafor one-on-one. However, Verona pulled one back through Tijjani Noslin’s thumping finish from the edge of the box.
When it looked like Milan could waste another two-goal cushion on the road this season, Samuel Chukwueze scored a superb volley off the bench to seal the deal for Rossoneri. With Juventus going winless against Genoa earlier today, Pioli’s men have solidified a runner-up spot behind Inter.
Let’s look at our Milan ratings.
Mila (4-2-3-1)
Mike Maignan – 7.5
Despite the indications he could’ve missed out on today’s match due to injury, the French goalkeeper was in goal, making numerous eye-catching stops on either side of halftime.
Davide Calabria – 6.5
His attacking limitations came to the fore again, although he held his ground at the back.
Pierre Kalulu – 6
Back to the starting XI after a while, the young defender looked rusty and well off his A-game. There’s ample room for improvement.
Fikayo Tomori – 6
Speaking of improvements, he would use some after another unconvincing display. Lucky to finish the game with just one booking.
Theo Hernandez – 7.5
Vintage Theo performance! He was a nightmare for Verona defenders all game and returned to the scoresheet to cap off a scintillating showing.
Tijjani Reijnders – 7
The Dutchman showed Pioli why he should start ahead of Yacine Adli, distributing the ball around the field with precision and purpose while completing several progressive runs.
Ismael Bennacer – 6.5
Not as impressive as Reijnders but still dependable to retain possession in tight spaces and bring his offensive teammates into play.
Rafael Leao – 7
It’s a shame he wasted a golden opportunity midway through the second half, considering he was too good for his markers today.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6
Maybe it was fatigue or something else, but the Englishman wasn’t at his usual best at the Bentegodi.
Christian Pulisic – 7.5
It was only a matter of time before he would grab the goal this afternoon, hitting the crossbar in the first half and constantly threatening Montipo’s door by cutting inside from the right.
Noah Okafor – 7
Pioli’s experiment with the Austrian as a center-forward was an utter success, even though he was unlucky in front of goal. His mobility and technique made him a menace to Verona’s backline.
Substitutes
Matteo Gabbia – 6.5
Olivier Giroud – 6
Yunus Musah – 6.5
Samuel Chukwueze – 7
Simon Kjaer – N/A
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