Milan’s unbeaten run in the Serie A continued as they beat nine-man Bologna 4-2 at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
The match got off to a good start with both sides attacking whenever they got the chance. It was Milan who opened the scoring in the 16th minute thanks to Rafael Leao whose left-footed shot took a deflection off Gary Medel and found its way in the back of the net.
Shortly after, Bologna were down to ten men after Adama Soumaoro was sent off for a foul on Rade Krunic. The Rossoneri doubled their lead thanks to a fine finish from right-back Davide Calabria.
In the second half, the Rossoblu were eager to come back into the game and halved their two-goal deficit thanks to an own goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Just minutes later, Musa Barrow leveled things by netting his fourth league goal this season.
However, things got real bad for Sinisa Mihajlovic’s team as captain Roberto Soriano, who assisted the team’s second goal, was shown a straight red for a foul on Fode Ballo-Toure.
Milan kept attacking and got their third goal thanks to a splendid left-footed strike from Ismael Bennacer, who went on to assist Ibrahimovic’s goal that put them 4-2 up.
The Rossoneri are now top of the Serie A table with 25 points from nine matches. However, they could slip to second if Napoli beat Roma tomorrow.
Until then, let us take a look at how players from both teams fared in today’s match.
Bologna XI
Lukasz Skorupski- 6
The Pole may have conceded four goals today but he made a few crucial saves from the Milan attackers, most notably from Olivier Giroud’s header. Has a tough task ahead next weekend as Bologna take on Napoli.
Adama Soumaoro- 2
The 29-year-old had a pretty dismal performance that ended abruptly after he received a red card following a foul on Krunic. The only thing close to a silver lining for Soumaoro might be the fact that his passing accuracy was 100%.
Gary Medel- 5.5
Leao might be claiming the first goal but the Chilean’s deflection perhaps ensured that the ball went into the back of the net. Medel did not have a very good outing but managed a few clearances and blocks.
Arthur Theate- 6
The 21-year-old made more tackles than any other player on the pitch today- 4. Theate tried to foil the Milan attackers as much as he could but one can only do so much when the opposition has a two-man advantage.
Lorenzo de Silvestri- 6
The full-back made five clearances throughout the match while also making a couple of key passes forward.
Nicolas Dominguez- 6.5
The Argentine midfielder linked up well with his teammates and amassed a passing accuracy of 90%. Not the most commanding performance from Dominguez but all in all, fairly decent.
Mattias Svanberg- 6.5
Like Dominguez, the Swede was also actively involved in the link-up play and had four key passes, which was the joint-most throughout the game. Svanberg’s presence in midfield will be key to Bologna finishing in the top 10 of the Serie A this season.
Aaron Hickey- 6.5
The Scottish teenager was often involved in Bologna’s attack and always made overlapping runs whenever getting the chance to do so. Eventually got subbed.
Roberto Soriano- 6.5
The 30-year-old provided the assist for Barrow’s second goal which temporarily leveled things up. However, the match ended horribly for him as he got sent off for a foul on Ballo-Toure.
Musa Barrow- 7
By far, the best Bologna player today. Barrow was constantly threatening the Milan defence and scored his team’s second of the match. A lot will be expected of Barrow from now on.
Marko Arnautovic- 6
The Austrian was always looking for an opportunity to threaten the Milan defence but was unable to find the net.
Bologna Substitutes
Luis Binks- 5
Came on for Barrow in the second half but failed to have much of an impact.
Mitchell Dijks- 5
Replaced Hickey on the left flank but could not make any significant contribution for his team, managing only 12 touches.
Jerdy Schouten- 6
Replaced Dominguez and was always involved in the link-up play with his defenders and forwards. Managed a passing accuracy of 92.9%.
Riccardo Orsolini- N/A
Federico Santander- N/A
Milan XI
Ciprian Tatarusanu- 5.5
Did make three saves but had a few shaky moments throughout the game. Not as reliable as Mike Maignan but Milan will be hoping to see the Romanian at his very best in the forthcoming matches.
Davide Calabria- 7.5
A fine performance from the man who was donning the captain’s armband today. Calabria put in a good performance on the right flank and was always involved in Milan’s attack while faring well defensively too. Produced a fine finish to score the Rossoneri’s second goal of the game.
Simon Kjaer- 6.5
The Dane could have positioned himself better to avoid Bologna’s second but was otherwise pretty decent at the back. Had a passing accuracy of 97.9% and his long-ball was a key factor in the opposition losing Soumaoro.
Fikayo Tomori- 6.5
There was little he could have done for Bologna’s goals but did well at the back when called upon.
Fode Ballo-Toure- 7
It was an industrious performance from the Senegal international who was always up and down that left flank throughout the game. He had a role to play in Milan’s second goal while also drawing the foul that got Soriano sent off.
Sandro Tonali- 6
The former Brescia man looked in good nick at the middle of the park and was subbed off, probably as a precautionary measure since he was already on one yellow card. Tonali’s passing accuracy throughout the match was 97.1%.
Ismael Bennacer- 9
The Algerian has been in spectacular form for Milan this season and put in a sensational performance tonight. Bennacer’s wonderful left-footed shot gave the Rossoneri their third goal while he also provided the assist for Ibrahimovic’s goal.
Samu Castillejo- 6
The Spaniard was good on the pitch and had some fine moments before being injured. Milan fans will hope that Castillejo’s injury is not too major.
Rade Krunic- 6
Not the most effective performance but he had a major role to play in Soumaoro seeind red in the first half.
Rafael Leao- 7
The Portuguese was a menace to the Bologna defenders and maintained his good run of form. His goal had an element of luck after being helped by a deflection but nonetheless, it was a good display from Leao.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic- 6.5
The veteran’s performance was pretty much dismal for most of the game, lost possession on numerous occasions and scored the own goal. However, Ibra vindicated himself by scoring Milan’s fourth.
Milan substitutes
Olivier Giroud- 6
Had a glorious of heading in a goal for Milan but it was well saved by Skorupski.
Tiemoue Bakayoko- 6.5
Came off the bench for Tonali after the interval and produced a decent performance. The Frenchman was involved n Milan’s third goal.
Alexis Saelemakers- 5.5
While the Belgian had some good moments, it wasn’t a very good performance from him on an overall basis.
Pierre Kalulu- N/A