Milan eked out a 1-0 home win over Fiorentina to bounce back from a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw against Lecce and consolidate their position in the Serie A top-four race. San Siro witnessed a keenly-contested encounter, with pure luck contributing to the home side’s necessary triumph.
Deprived of the services of formidable duo Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao, Stefano Pioli faced a selection nightmare ahead of this crucial fixture. But the depleted Milan lineup put on a resilient performance to get a much-needed result in the face of adversity.
The critical moment came on the stroke of halftime. Theo Hernandez slipped through the net of Fiorentina defenders to break one-on-one with Pietro Terracciano. He never had a chance to pull the trigger as Fabiano Parisi brought him down.
Referee Marco Di Bello had no doubt as he immediately pointed to the spot. Hernandez took the responsibility, sending Terracciano the wrong way to put Milan in front. Despite spending most of the second half on the back foot, Rossoneri claimed their fourth consecutive home win over Fiorentina.
Milan (4-3-3)
Mike Maignan – 8
It’s unfathomable how he managed to thwart Leandro Mandragora’s 96th-minute attempt from barely a yard out to give Milan a pivotal victory.
Davide Calabria – 7
Worked his socks off at the back, defending against Riccardo Sottil and Cristiano Biraghi. But his tremendous defensive effort came at the expense of his attacking contribution.
Fikayo Tomori – 6.5
Not one of his best nights. Had some shaky moments, especially in the second half. Lucky to get away with a free-kick for a reckless challenge on the edge of the box.
Malick Thiaw – 7
Outperformed his senior defensive colleague for once. Refused to take risks with the ball and made numerous non-nonsense clearances to help Milan weather a late storm.
Theo Hernandez – 7.5
Drew the penalty and took it upon himself to put it away. Going toe-to-toe with Nicolas Gonzalez might be one of the most challenging tasks in Serie A, but he excelled tonight.
Tijjani Reijnders – 6.5
Tried to give Milan some momentum with his creativity and constant off-the-ball movement but had nothing to show for it.
Yunus Musah – 7
Following a nightmarish performance against Lecce, the USMNT midfielder delivered a much better showing tonight.
Tommaso Pobega – 6.5
Had too many loose touches in the front third. But made up for his disastrous attacking contribution with a spirited display at the back.
Samuel Chukwueze – 5.5
His adaptation period in Serie A isn’t going according to plan. Another unconvincing performance from the Nigerian winger. Lost many balls and failed to find a cutting edge.
Christian Pulisic – 6.5
Slightly better than his abovementioned attacking comrade but still below his standard. Didn’t have any meaningful touch with the ball this evening.
Luka Jovic – 4
His lackadaisical attitude is staggering. Wasted a glorious chance to put the game to bed midway through the second half.
Substitutes
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6.5
Did well to connect the dots in the middle of the park since coming on.
Francesco Camada – N/A
Rade Krunic – N/A
Alessandro Florenzi – N/A
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