Charles De Ketelaere wasted a seemingly unmissable chance as Cremonese held Milan to a 1-1 draw in a drab affair. A handful of Milan players, including Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Calabria, played exceptionally well, but the offense struggled to convert its chances.
Mike Maignan – 6
The visitors gave Milan’s goalkeeper very little trouble until the dying minutes of the match.
Pierre Kalulu – 5
In the first half, a missed header very nearly caused Milan serious problems, but the defender seemed to recover. However, he and Malick Thiaw combined to completely bungle a long-ball to David Okereke, allowing La Cremo to take the lead.
Malick Thiaw – 5.5
For much of the match, Thiaw was incredibly solid defensively, shutting down Cremonese’s halfhearted attacking forays. He shut down former Roma striker Felix Afena-Gyan, but his terrible late error doomed his side to drop points.
Davide Calabria – 8
At left-back, Calabria turned in a quality performance. The defender ran wild on the wing, and he won several challenges as the visitors focused their attack through his defensive zone.
Fode Ballo-Toure – 6.5
Despite not playing much this season, Ballo-Toure played well on the backline. While he was not particularly impressive on the offensive side of the ball, he was dominant in the air on set pieces.
Ismael Bennacer – 5
During his 45 minutes, Bennacer had a minimal influence on Milan’s efforts. At halftime, Stefano Pioli replaced the Algerian with Rade Krunic.
Aster Vranckx – 5
Vranckx was on the pitch, I’m almost sure of it!
Charles De Ketelaere – 3.5
In the first half, the midfielder was gifted a one-on-one opportunity against goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi. However, the Belgian wasted the prime chance, leaving the scoreline level as he continues to seek his first goal for the Rossoneri.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 8
Coming off a heroic equalizer against Roma, Saelemaekers was again in top form for his side. He was by far the most creative player for Milan, and he frequently got into dangerous positions inside the box.
Brahim Diaz – 4
Like CDK, Diaz had a terrible miss that should have put Milan in front. When Saelemaekers found him at the back post, the Spaniard somehow headed the ball over the goal from just feet away.
Divock Origi – 6
Origi’s work rate was impressive, with the striker at one point winning a challenge on the backline. However, not much else was clicking, as the former Liverpool man again failed to find the back of the net.
HT: #MilanCremonese 0-0 pic.twitter.com/iHgTqPOM7x
— Tribun Milano (@Info4_Milanisti) May 3, 2023
Substitutes
Rade Krunic – 5
At halftime, Krunic’s introduction into the double pivot paired him with Vranckx, not exactly an enthralling duo. The change did not lead to much of an improvement in the midfield.