Milan Player Ratings vs Inter: Leao Late Efforts Not Enough

Rafael Leao came off the bench, but his strong efforts were not enough to salvage a point for Milan, which fell 0-1 to Inter. The most recent edition of the Derby della Madonnina saw the Rossoneri turn in a lifeless first half with a new 3-5-2 formation, and the visitors were unable to change their fortunes despite a stronger second 45.

Ciprian Tatarusanu – 7.5

After a terrible showing against Sassuolo, Tatarusanu rebounded with an impressive performance. He made a number of difficult saves, showing off his quick reflexes, but it was not enough to salvage a point for Milan.

Matteo Gabbia – 4

Another day, another poor match from Gabbia. While the centre-back distributed the ball decently, he nearly gave away a penalty after losing a one-on-one to Edin Dzeko.

Simon Kjaer – 4

Despite Kjaer’s significant height advantage, he lost an aerial challenge to Lautaro Martinez, allowing Inter to score the only goal of the match. The centre-back was too slow to effectively neutralize the striker in the first half, and his overall performance was uninspiring.

Pierre Kalulu – 7

The French centre-back was the only Milan defender who seemed capable of tracking Martinez. Kalulu defended well against the shifty Argentine, limiting his creativity significantly in the second half.

Theo Hernandez – 6

From his new role at wing-back, Hernandez made a number of crucial plays as Inter pushed deep into the Milan defensive third.

Davide Calabria – 5.5

Though he nominally played as the other wing-back, Calabria remained reserved in Milan’s half. This positioning allowed Federico Dimarco and Henrikh Mkhitaryan far too much time in the channel, but the captain did not make many defensive errors.

Rade Krunic – 5

Krunic was weak defensively and rarely found himself in possession of the ball. Every time the Bosnian takes the pitch for Milan, it seems to be a performance to forget.

Sandro Tonali – 5

From the central midfield, Tonali looked utterly lost. In the first half, he completed just six passes while making few defensive contributions.

Junior Messias – 4.5

Though Messias has experience in the attacking midfield, you wouldn’t know it from his derby performance. Like Tonali, he struggled to complete passes and did not provide the forwards with nearly enough service.

Divock Origi – 4

During his 55 minutes on the pitch, Origi managed just 14 touches on the ball. Part of the problem was a lack of service, but the striker rarely dropped into the midfield or made decent runs through the backline.

Olivier Giroud – 4

Despite receiving practically no help from his teammates, Giroud wasted two prime opportunities. Andre Onana gifted the striker a turnover, and Rafael Leao created a one-on-one chance for him, but he was unable to convert either one.

Substitutes

Rafael Leao – 7

Once again, the winger did not start the match in Milan’s starting 11. In the second half, he provided a much-needed spark in the midfield, creating more than one quality chance, but the visitors were unable to take advantage.

Alexis Saelemaekers – 5.5

The Belgian replaced Calabria with 35 minutes left, but he was unable to add much in relief of the defender.

Brahim Diaz – 5

After replacing Messias at halftime, Diaz managed a few moments of quality, but he was too inconsistent to make a difference.

Malick Thiaw – N/A

Ante Rebic – N/A