Brahim Diaz and the Milan offense were sublime as the Rossoneri picked up a 4-1 win against Monza. The visitors unwisely deployed a fairly aggressive 3-4-2-1, and Milan had no problems picking apart their unorganized backline. While Monza’s substitutes made the second half more interesting than it should have been, it was ultimately a straightforward victory for the hosts.
Milan
Ciprian Tatarusanu – 7.5
Though clearly lacking the reflexes and athleticism of Mike Maignan, Tatarusanu played a quality match. He was well-positioned for most of Monza’s attempts and made five saves.
Sergino Dest – 7
The defender seemed to grow into his role as the match progressed. He played in a similar style to Theo Hernandez, cutting inside and looking to advance the ball into the attacking third while Junior Messias played out wide. However, he was surprisingly replaced by Pierre Kalulu at halftime.
Simon Kjaer – 5.5
The Dane had a much quieter match than his partner, playing mostly in a reserved role. So far this season, Kjaer has not made many appearances, and it showed, as his distribution was not at its best.
Fikayo Tomori – 8
Against a Monza attack that had just one forward, Tomori played in an aggressive, attacking style. From his advanced position, the centre-back won several tackles and interceptions, at times progressing the ball into the final third.
Theo Hernandez – 8
The defender turned in a classic performance, driving the ball up the pitch while creating numerous chances for the hosts. On Milan’s fourth goal of the match, he easily stole the ball from Valentin Antov before finding Rafael Leao in the box to confirm the result.
Tommaso Pobega – 7
In a box-to-box role, Pobega saw a lot of time on the ball and created several opportunities when feeding the Rossoneri attack. He was less convincing from more advanced positions, but the midfielder certainly made a case for more playing time.
Ismael Bennacer – 7
As usual, Bennacer was solid from his role in the double pivot, quietly facilitating play and helping the Milan offense forward.
Junior Messias – 8
From the right wing, Messias was in brilliant form throughout the match. He was quite impressive with his technical skills and made a fantastic move around Andrea Carboni to create Milan’s third goal.
Brahim Diaz – 8.5
Brahim picked up a brilliant first-half brace, though he left the match with an apparent injury after 53 minutes. His first goal was the result of an incredible run through Monza’s defense that saw him beat three players on the dribble.
Ante Rebic – 5
Rebic was not at his best, managing just 35 touches and one shot to go with a putrid 52% passing percentage.
Divock Origi – 8
In the second half, Origi finally netted his first goal for Milan, firing a powerful shot into the upper corner. The striker dominated the Monza defense with physicality and controlled touches in a Lukaku-esque performance.
Substitutes
Pierre Kalulu – 6.5
After entering the match after the break, the Frenchman immediately made an impact on proceedings, blocking a hard shot from Gianluca Caprari.
Charles De Ketelaere – 4.5
While replacing the injured Brahim, CDK struggled to do much and squandered two prime chances from inside the box.
Rafael Leao – 7
Despite Milan holding a comfortable lead, the winger entered the match in the second half. After Theo won the ball in the attacking third and found Leao in the box, he easily converted to put Milan up 4-1.
Matteo Gabbia – 6
Gabbia replaced Kjaer and played well while helping the Rossoneri see out the match.
Aster Vranckx – N/A
Brahim Diaz has become the FIRST #10 to score two goals in a single Serie A game for AC Milan since Honda in 2014 ?⚫️ pic.twitter.com/oZVbN5VaxS
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) October 22, 2022
Monza
Michelle Di Gregorio – 5
Though he did make an impressive close-range stop against Rebic, Di Gregorio did a poor job of charging Brahim on Milan’s first score and allowed four goals on the night.
Luca Caldirola – 4.5
Caldirola seemed out of sync with his fellow centre-backs, often finding himself out of position. In the first half, he struggled against Messias and Dest in the channel and was taken off after 54 minutes.
Pablo Mari – 5.5
The Arsenal loanee was less-than impressive, as Monza’s back-three was in shambles against the creativity and athleticism of Milan.
Valentin Antov – 5
Late in the match, the 21-year-old made a horrible error, gifting the ball to Hernandez, who promptly found Leao unmarked for Milan’s fourth goal.
Carlos Augusto – 6.5
Carlos was one of Monza’s better players from the wing-back position, distributing the ball well and winning a few tackles against Milan’s relentless attack.
Patrick Ciurria – 5
At times, Ciurria did not drop into the backline as needed, and he was rather fortunate not to pick up a second yellow in the first half.
Stefano Sensi – 6.5
The midfielder won several important tackles in front of the backline, but he did not receive enough support from his teammates during his ample time on the ball.
Andrea Barberis – 4
From his shuttling midfield role, Barberis did not produce a particularly impressive performance. Ultimately, he struggled to add much to the attack or the defense and was removed at halftime.
Gianluca Caprari – 5.5
After a strong start to the match, Caprari’s form dropped off significantly. Early in the second half, he seemingly had a clear lane to shoot, but he waited too long to pull the trigger, allowing Kalulu to block the attempt.
Matteo Pessina – 7
Pessina is clearly a step ahead of his fellow Monza players. The Atalanta man provided the visitors’ lone attacking spark from his versatile midfield role, which saw him venture into literally every area of the pitch.
Dany Mota – 5
Despite his high work rate throughout the match, Monza really needed a better showing from Mota. Early on, the forward missed a prime chance to equalize for the visitors, and his day was characterized by a poor showing in the final third.
Substitutes
Filippo Ranocchia – 8
After replacing Barberis at halftime, the Juventus loanee scored a candidate for goal of the year. From a free kick well outside the box, Ranocchia curled a shot around the Milan wall that glanced off the post and into the net.
Andrea Petagna – 4
Petagna took off Mota a few minutes into the second half, but he struggled to find time on the ball or create any meaningful scoring chances.
Andrea Carboni – 6
While he was almost immediately burned by Messias on the wing, Carboni greatly increased the level of play after Caldirola’s poor performance.