Inter relinquished their six-game winning streak against Milan in Sunday’s electrifying Derby della Madonnina, slumping to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat. Simone Inzaghi’s side headed into proceedings as favorites, but an exhausting game against Manchester City seemingly took its toll on the defending Serie A champions.
Christian Pulisic steamrolled past the entire Inter backline to open the scoring after just ten minutes. It was no less than Milan deserved for their superb start. The USMNT forward’s goal served as a wake-up call for Inzaghi’s team as they regained control of the game before picking up an equalizer through Federico Dimarco.
The Italian wingback broke one-on-one with Mike Maignan and hammered the ball into the far bottom corner to level the score midway through the second half. However, that was the only time Inter outmaneuvered Milan’s defense.
Inter spent most of the second half moving the ball around without a purpose while allowing Milan to frequently test Yann Sommer. Though the Swiss veteran thwarted everything Paulo Fonseca’s men threw his way, Matteo Gabbia’s 89th-minute header was beyond his reach.
Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.
Inter (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer – 7
He did everything he could to prevent Milan from scoring in the second half, but Gabbia’s towering header caught him petrified on the line. Even he could do nothing to stop that.
Benjamin Pavard – 5.5
Inter fans must have expected more from a player of his caliber, yet the ex-Bayern Munich center-back failed to live up to expectations, looking clumsy on and off the ball.
Francesco Acerbi – 6.5
Despite his age, the veteran was undoubtedly the best Inter defender tonight. His smart positioning helped him make up for a lack of speed against Tammy Abraham and Alvaro Morata.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6
Lost his temper early on but got back on track as the game progressed. However, Pulisic gave him a nightmare, beating him in one-on-ones one too many times.
Federico Dimarco – 6.5
While there’s ample room for improvement at the back, the Italy international was arguably the most threatening ‘home’ player this evening. In addition to the goal, he managed to provide decent delivery into the box but to no avail.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6
One of the reasons Inter seemed on the back foot for most of the game. Had to play cautiously after picking up an early booking for a tactical foul on Theo Hernandez.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 6
His trademark passing and superb vision let Inzaghi’s team down as the Turkish midfielder failed to get into the rhythm from the get-go.
Nicolo Barella – 6.5
Barella’s energy and tireless runs kept Inter’s underperforming midfield tick over in tumultuous times, but he wasn’t as brilliant as he was a few days ago against Manchester City.
Denzel Dumfries – 6
Usually, he was the one giving Hernandez a headache. Tonight, it was the other way around. Sluggish at the back and unproductive in attack, the Dutchman had a disappointing game.
Marcus Thuram – 4.5
Speaking of disappointments, the Frenchman was a disaster. Inter’s best player this season had a night to forget, losing almost every duel against Gabbia and failing to put Maignan to the test.
Lautaro Martinez – 5
The Argentine’s horrendous season continues as he looked disjointed against Milan’s disciplined backline. A near-anonymous performance from the Inter captain!
Substitutes
Matteo Darmian – 5.5
Kristjan Asllani – 6
Davide Frattesi – 5.5
Piotr Zielinski – 6
Carlos Augusto – N/A
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