Rafael Leao is Football Italia’s MOTM in Milan’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina. Check out player ratings from the Stadio Franchi.
Fiorentina
Terracciano 6.5 – Some good saves in the first half, but went down a little too early when Loftus-Cheek scored. Not a real mistake anyway.
Dodô 5 – Everyone would have struggled against Leao tonight, imagine somebody who started for the first time since September after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury. (69′ Kayode 6)
Milenković 4.5 – Literally pulled down by Leao’s backheel assist, plus he kept a high line when the Portuguese netted the second for Milan. A nightmare.
Martínez Quarta 5 – Started the game with a rough tackle on Leao that cost him a yellow card, but he was slightly less error-prone than fellow centre-back Milenkovic. (88′ Barak N/A)
Biraghi 5.5 – The captain didn’t play well under pressure and wasted possession too many times.
Duncan 6.5 – He stunned Milan with a quick equaliser. A few errors here and there, but solid performance overall.
Mandragora 5.5 – Surprisingly picked over Arthur, but lacked quality.
Ikoné 5.5 – A really promising start for the French winger, but he soon became too flat. We’ve seen it already this season. (88′ Sottil N/A)
Beltrán 6.5 – Italiano has surely found an appropriate role for the Argentinean. Beltran created some promising goal-scoring opportunities by collecting the ball deep. No surprise he received a round of applause when he was subbed off. (79′ Nzola 5)
Kouamé 5 – The Ivory Coast international started the first match after recovering from malaria and didn’t leave his mark. (69′ Nico 5.5)
Belotti 5.5 – Perfect preparation and poor finishing, but their attitude was exemplary.
Coach: Italiano 6—He will be blamed in Florence, but Fiorentina really play good football. It’s not really his fault if the strikers aren’t clinical enough.
Milan
Maignan 7 – Three key saves, two to deny Belotti. Tho ones he produced in the second half were absolutely superb.
Calabria 6 – Kouame and Biraghi didn’t cause too much trouble for him.
Thiaw 5.5 – Not a great impact, he slipped down a couple of times and was subbed off during the break. (46′ Gabbia 5.5)
Tomori 6 – Belotti did have a few chances to score. No big errors anyway, only little imperfections.
Florenzi 6.5 – Replaced the suspended Theo and played with personality.
Bennacer 6 – Fiorentina found space in the middle, especially in the second half. He improved when RLC tracked back.
Reijnders 5.5 – Beltran’s position gave him a hard time. No surprise he was subbed off early in the second half. (63′ Musah 6.5)
Chukwueze 6 – Started over Pulisic who needed to recover after games and triumphs with USMNT. The Nigeria international partially contributed to Milan’s first goal. (73′ Pulisic 6)
Loftus-Cheek 7 – Another game, another goal for the English midfielder, inspired by Leao’s backheel assists. He played as a pure central midfielder when Reijnders was subbed off.
Leão 8 – What a performance. A beautiful goal, but the assist was even better. Rafa was a constant threat to Fiorentina. Easily the man of the match. (63′ Okafor 6)
Giroud 6 – Some very smart moves from the France international, who was rarely dangerous but always made his presence felt. (82′ Jovic N/A).
Coach: Pioli 7 – Milan made it look easy, but it wasn’t. Leao is an added value, but this Milan side have clear ideas.