Player ratings | Inter 5-1 Milan: Mkhitaryan’s magic, Pioli’s fiasco

Inter won their fifth consecutive derby della Madonnina across all competitions, beating Milan 5-1: here are Football Italia’s player ratings from San Siro.

Inter

Sommer 6 – Not much he could do to avoid conceding for the first time this season.

Darmian 6.5 – Beaten by Leao down the flank in the second half, the only minor error of the night.

Acerbi 7 – Emerged victorious from the harsh duel with Giroud.

Bastoni 7 – Pulisic was not on his day, so the bare minimum was enough to deal with the American. Subbed off after playing two games with Italy during the international break (74’ De Vrij N/A).

Dumfries 6.5 – Left too much space for Leao in the first half, but the Portuguese didn’t score, solid performance overall.

Barella 7.5 – You wouldn’t say he’d just played two games with the national team. Incredible stamina and incredible quality. Even won an aerial duel with Leao at the end of the first half. (63’ Frattesi 7 – Not everybody scores the first Inter goal in a derby)

Calhanoglu 8 – This is a special game for him and he never disappoints against his ex-club. Contributed to Inter’s third goal and scored the fourth from the spot. Leader. (80’ Asllani N/A).

Mkhitaryan 9 – So, the debate on the Inter front the days before the derby was on whether Inzaghi should have benched him to play Frattesi. Mkhi replied with a brace and one assist.

Dimarco 7.5 – Assisted Mkhitaryan for his first goal. Never lacked quality. Best Italian left-back, but we’ve known this for some time now. (64′ Carlos Augusto 6.5 – Had a chance to score from outside the box)

Lautaro Martinez 7.5 – What a game, El Toro. Didn’t score, true, but contributed to at least two, including the assist for Mkhitaryan’s second goal. He won so many duels against Milan defenders and the pressing was incredible, he never stopped.

Thuram 7.5 – We need to talk about his goal, although he did much more than just that. His pace and physicality troubled the Rossoneri defence for a good hour. It’s only mid-September and nobody misses Lukaku anymore in the black and blue side of Navigli. (64’ Arnautovic 6-5 – Helped Inter hold up the ball)

Coach: Inzaghi 8 – Perfect plan. Left the ball possession to Milan, but his players’ pressing was ferocious and defensively, they were almost perfect. Tactical masterclass.

Milan: 

Maignan 6 – Not at fault for any of Inter’s goals.

Calabria 4.5 – A terrible night for the Milan captain. Didn’t find space when he had the ball and was a nightmare defensively. Inter scored the first two goals having numerical advantage on that side of the pitch. (77’ Florenzi N/A)

Kjaer 3 – With Tomori suspended and Kalulu injured, Pioli could only start the Dane who was destroyed by Lautaro.

Thiaw 3 – Beaten by Thuram too easily, even if the Inter striker scored from an impossible angle. A terrible night for him too. Inter strikers did all they wanted.

Theo Hernandez 4 – Came close to scoring the equaliser early in the first half, but then disappeared.

Loftus-Cheek 5 – Inter midfielders were everywhere and there was nothing he could do. (86’ Musa N/A)

Krunic 5 – Struggled to cope with Inter’s pressing.

Reijnders 5 – Same as Krunic and Loftus-Cheek, the Milan derby has been a nightmare for him too. (77’ Jovic N/A)

Pulisic 4.5 – The USMNT international had only trained once with the team after the international break. He was understandably tired and didn’t create much during his time on the pitch. (56’ Chukwueze 5 – too predictable)

Giroud 5 – Inter defenders dominated, winning almost every duel. (77’ Okafor N/A)

Leao 6.5 – The only Milan player who made Inter defenders feel in danger. He scored one goal, but it wasn’t enough.

Coach Pioli 4 – His Milan side kept the ball possession but didn’t know what to do with it. Calabria would often cut inside from the right flank but didn’t create numerical advantage leaving the Rossoneri exposed on the right flank. A proper fiasco.