High-flying Napoli humbled suspension-hit Milan 2-0 in Tuesday’s mouth-watering Serie A encounter at Stadio San Siro. Antonio Conte’s men inflicted Milan’s first home league defeat this season, courtesy of a clinical first-half performance.
The game couldn’t have started any worse for Milan. Romelu Lukaku picked up an inviting through ball from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and slotted it calmly past Mike Maignan to open the scoring after only five minutes. Despite taking control of possession, Paulo Fonseca’s charges struggled to create many clear-cut chances in the first half.
Instead, Napoli doubled their advantage on the stroke of halftime. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia picked out a far bottom corner with his signature curling effort from the edging of the box, putting Milan in an almost impossible situation going into the second half. However, the Rossoneri flew out of the traps after the break.
Alvaro Morata nodded the ball home from point-blank, only to see VAR disallow his goal for offside. That seemingly took the wind out of the home team’s sails, with Milan spending most of the second half trying to penetrate Napoli’s low defensive block with hopeless individual efforts.
After another disappointing result, Milan lost further ground on Napoli, falling a whopping 11 points behind the early Serie A pacesetters. Despite having a game in hand, last season’s runners-up may have given up their title hopes tonight.
Let’s look at our Milan ratings.
Milan (4-2-3-1)
Mike Maignan – 5
Two of Napoli’s three shots on target ended up in the back of the net, painting a bleak picture for the highly-rated goalkeeper.
Emerson Royal – 5.5
Guarding Kvaratskhelia proved beyond the Brazilian right-back, who traditionally struggled in the front third, often leaving Samuel Chukwueze on an island.
Malick Thiaw – 5.5
Lukaku slipped his mark to put Napoli in front and frequently bested the German defender in aerial duels, creating a havoc inside the Milan penalty area.
Strahinja Pavlovic – 6
Despite his aggressive approach and never-give-up mentality, the Serb made several poor anticipations, particularly in the opening half an hour before growing into the contest.
Filippo Terracciano – 5
Nowhere near Hernandez’s level, the Italian full-back had a disappointing evening, struggling at the back while doing nothing noteworthy in the opposition’s half.
Yunus Musah – 6.5
Who knows how the game would’ve gone had he converted that glorious chance midway through the first half? However, he worked his socks off.
Youssouf Fofana – 6
Following a sluggish start to the game, the French star gained a foothold, helping Milan establish control of possession, but couldn’t find that cutting edge in crucial areas.
Samuel Chukuweze – 6
Sometimes, it feels like he can do everything but score and assist. Repeatedly let down by the final touch, the Nigerian winger failed to inflict enough damage from the flank.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6.5
Back to the starting line-up in his favorite position, the towering midfielder established himself as Milan’s driving force in the engine room but often struggled with the final ball.
Noah Okafor – 5.5
Despite all the tricks and flicks, the Swiss forward was often unable to beat Giovanni Di Lorenzo in one-on-ones.
Alvaro Morata – 6
Fractionally offside when he found the net at the start of the second half, the Spanish striker endured a frustrating night, especially in the 45 minutes.
Substitutes
Rafael Leao – 6.5
Christian Pulisic – 6
Francesco Camarda – N/A
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |