Profligant Milan wasted a glorious opportunity to return to the Scudetto frame as Bologna fought back late to eke out a 2-2 draw at the San Siro. With Juventus held to a 1-1 stalemate against Lecce earlier on Saturday, Stefano Pioli’s side could’ve reduced the gap to five points.
However, profligacy plagued Rossoneri’s night. Bologna took the lead midway through the first half through Milan target Joshua Zirkzee, who squeezed the ball through Mike Maignan’s legs from an acute angle. Still, the home side put things back to square one on the cusp of halftime.
Even though Olivier Giroud spurned his first penalty of 2023/24, Milan grabbed an equalizer as Ruben Loftus-Cheek latched onto Davide Calabria’s low cross to score in his second consecutive Serie A appearance.
Despite a relatively sluggish start to the second half, Milan had another golden chance to break the parity. But like Giroud, Theo Hernandez failed to convert the spot-kick. Nine minutes later, Loftus-Cheek doubled his season’s tally to put Pioli’s team in front.
Unfortunately for the seven-time European champions, winter signing Filippo Terracciano brought Victor Kristiansen down in the box minutes after coming on. Referee Davide Massa pointed to the spot after consulting with VAR, with Riccardo Orsolini drawing Bologna level at the death.
Let’s look at our player ratings.
Milan (4-2-3-1)
Mike Maignan – 6
There’s an argument he could’ve done better to thwart Zirkzee, though he was impressive for the rest of the night, even coming inches away from saving Orsolini’s penalty.
Davide Calabria – 7
While the Milan captain often impresses at the back and struggles in the final third, it was the other way around this evening. In addition to setting up Loftus-Cheek with a teasing low ball into the box, he was an omnipresent figure in attack.
Simon Kjaer – 6.5
Given his age and recent proneness to injuries, it’s unsurprising he failed to cope with Zirkzee’s pace, although his experience helped him deal with several threatening situations. Drew a penalty for Giroud.
Matteo Gabbia – 6
It’s no wonder Milan are still in the market for a new center-back. The Italian had a shambolic game, making several poor clearances and often struggling with the ball at his feet.
Theo Hernandez – 5.5
Arguably one of his worst performances in the Rossoneri shirt! Sloppy at the back and overzealous in attack, the Frenchman delivered a sub-par showing, with the missed penalty summing up his evening.
Tijjani Reijnders – 6
Like Hernandez, the Dutch midfielder will want to forget this match quickly. Merely a shadow of a player who inspired Milan’s comeback against Udinese a week ago.
Yacine Adli – 5.5
It feels like the game against Roma was counterproductive for the deep-lying playmaker as he became complacent, leading to numerous rookie mistakes in the build-up. Too slow to get rid of the ball!
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 8
There’s not much more Pioli can ask from the Englishman. He was superb all game and got a well-deserved brace for his electrifying performance.
Rafael Leao – 7
Though he could’ve and should’ve scored in the second half, he made up for that miss with a sensational solo run to draw a second penalty. Showed glimpses of his devastating speed and technique.
Christian Pulisic – 6
Despite his admirable work rate and undeniable desire to get involved in every attacking movement, it wasn’t his night by any stretch of the imagination.
Olivier Giroud – 5
Letting Lukasz Skorupski save his penalty without breaking a sweat perhaps best illustrates his underwhelming display.
Substitutes
Yunus Musah – 5.5
Alessandro Florenzi – 5
Luka Jovic – 5.5
Noah Okafor – 4
Filippo Terracciano – 2
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