Player Ratings: AC Milan 3-0 Lecce – Pulisic shines; midfield duo key
AC Milan bounced back with a dominant performance against Lecce on Sunday evening, finding the back of the net three times. Below are the player ratings for the Rossoneri.
After the mid-week defeat to Benfica and the subsequent criticism, Ruben Amorim and his men were eager to clinch all three points tonight. Fortunately, thanks to the individual brilliance of several players, they got the job done.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.
Short Version
Pulisic (7.5 – MOTM): First start of the season, first goal of the season! That first touch was just brilliant and you can’t have any complaints about the finish either. He continued to be a source of inspiration after that, as shown on the second goal with a fantastic flick to Rabiot (not the assist, but it opened up the entire move).
Loftus-Cheek (5.5): Too harsh? Maybe, but I’m basing it off his run down the right-hand flank which amounted to nothing, despite it being a good chance, and when he was way too slow on the ball in the middle. An easy pass would have opened up a lot, but instead Lecce came close to a goal.
Amorim (6.5): He made the right decisions for the starting eleven (yes, even the Estupinan choice), and the tactics worked well. Milan never gave up on trying to create and as Lecce constantly had to chase the ball, they were very tired in the second half. Bringing on Moreira then with his pace was smart.
Starting XI
Maignan (6.5): He wasn’t tested all that much in the first half, but he got to make a few good saves in the second half. One was really good to deny Pierotti, even if the flag then went up for offside. He also deserves a mention for the long ball to Ramos before the third goal.
Gila (6.5): It was nice to see him back in the starting eleven and he made a difference. On top of the usual solid defending, we saw quite a few overlapping runs from him tonight, and he could have got the ball from his teammates more. In the build-up, he was also very good on the ball.
De Winter (6.5): Incredibly solid from the Belgian. He always did just about enough to put Stulic off balance, without giving away the foul, and he did really well on the ball even in tight situations. Lecce weren’t great, mind you, but still a performance worthy of praise.
Pavlovic (6.5): That pass for Pulisic’s goal was wonderful, even if the No.11 then did most of the work. Overall, I think the Serbian was solid at the back and he had a few moments while going forward too. However, he missed a pretty good chance after a nice run, and if it hadn’t been for that I perhaps would have given him a 7.
Chukwueze (6): It certainly wasn’t a bad display from him, with some nice moments in attack, but it was very average all things considered. In fairness to him, he did open up a lot of space for his teammates by keeping his position out wide.
Modric (7): That’s one way to respond to critics. He looked incredibly calm from the get-go and showed very early on that he would help out in both phases of the game. He even won some aerial duels! His main contribution was the passing though, often finding the perfect position and distributing the ball quickly.
Rabiot (7): Runs forward is what he does so well and we got to see that on the ball. He almost feels unstoppable at times with that pace and strength. Just like Modric, he also helps out a lot in both phases, including sacrificing pressing when needed.
Estupinan (6): He wasted a couple of good chances to find the back of the net, but if you look past that, I actually don’t think he was bad. In fact, he often found the right positions and combined well with the players on the left. He also had a crucial clearance in the second half, preventing Lecce from getting a tap-in.
Pulisic (7.5 – MOTM): First start of the season, first goal of the season! That first touch was just brilliant and you can’t have any complaints about the finish either. He continued to be a source of inspiration after that, as shown on the second goal with a fantastic flick to Rabiot (not the assist, but it opened up the entire move).
Saelemaekers (6.5): He was lively and won a lot of balls back, not to mention that we got to see several of his trademark turns. However, although this may be slightly harsh on him, I feel he could have been a lot better in the final third and with the final pass. I counted 2-3 good chances wasted because of his poor end product.
Ramos (7): We all wanted to see a goal from tonight, I know, but I would say we got the next-best thing. Not only was it a much better performance in terms of getting involved in the play, but he also really made sure to hammer that home with two assists. Very encouraging, in my opinion.
Substitutes
Loftus-Cheek (5.5): Too harsh? Maybe, but I’m basing it off his run down the right-hand flank which amounted to nothing, despite it being a good chance, and when he was way too slow on the ball in the middle. An easy pass would have opened up a lot, but instead Lecce came close to a goal.
Moreira (7): I went back and forth between a 6.5 and a 7 here, but ultimately settled for the latter just because the goal was so well-taken. Not only did he get to the penalty box with a great run, but then he had the composure to shift it onto his right as well.
Musah (6): We got to see some ‘Musah runs’, which are always enjoyable when they work. Not much more to say aside from that, though.
Bartesaghi (N/A): I didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
Camarda (N/A): I didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
Manager
Amorim (6.5): He made the right decisions for the starting eleven (yes, even the Estupinan choice), and the tactics worked well. Milan never gave up on trying to create and as Lecce constantly had to chase the ball, they were very tired in the second half. Bringing on Moreira then with his pace was smart.
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