AC Milan secured a comfortable win in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 against Cagliari, despite fielding a makeshift eleven. Luka Jovic was the main man with two goals, but several players did well and the youngsters impressed as well. Below are the player ratings.
Starting XI
Mirante (6.5): He made a tremendous reflex save at the start of the game, which was very important, but he had a few questionable moments after that. He couldn’t do anything about the goal, given the deflection, and overall he did well.
Calabria (6): An average display from the captain, who wasn’t really put to the test in the defensive phase. He was subbed off after 61 minutes as well, so there is not much to say about his performance.
Simic (7): Yes, the pass before Cagliari’s goal was rather unfortunate. However, he defended with great confidence and above all strength tonight, winning many duels against Cagliari’s star Luvumbo. Considering his age, we should all be very impressed.
Hernandez (8 – MOTM): He was great in the defensive phase tonight, making many recoveries and winning duels easily. The main difference, however, was made in attack. First with a great cross for Jovic, and then a trademark run to set up the Serbian once again. It was truly ‘the old Theo’ tonight.
Jimenez (6.5): A very encouraging debut for the Real Madrid-owned full-back. He played with great confidence and those of us who have watched the Primavera already knew that his acceleration is off the charts. Tonight he showed that as well, but he still needs to improve defensively. Just missed out on a 7.
Reijnders (6.5): As has been a theme lately, the Dutchman was always available for his teammates and did well when in possession. His ability to merge the midfield with the other two departments is impressive, it must be said.
Adli (7): It was the perfect game for him as Cagliari didn’t always press that high, or intensely anyway. He thus had the space to operate and was responsible for some very good passes tonight, especially the one where he set up Jovic for a great chance. The movement was also great, slotting into centre-back when Theo went forward.
Chukwueze (6): He gets a pass today simply because he was very lively, but it’s clear that the end product could have been a lot better.
Romero (5.5): Not his night, unfortunately, and he was the only youngster who didn’t really impress. It’s probably because he hasn’t played much lately, unlike the Primavera boys who have done the opposite.
Chaka Traore (7): He was perhaps a bit timid in the first half, but he improved in the second and also managed to bag his first Milan goal. He got a bit lucky with the finish, but it counts and the confidence boost was visible.
Jovic (7.5): Two goals for the Serbian, who has been in red-hot form lately. He did miss a good chance at the start of the first half, but he made up for that with a more complicated finish on the first goal. He also combined well with his teammates tonight, and you could make a case for giving him an 8.
Substitutes
Florenzi (6): He did what was needed, also showing off some good passes. Not much more than that, though.
Leao (7): He wasn’t successful in the first few 1v1 duels but then managed to find the back of the net in the 91st minute. It was a great finish from the Portuguese, who hopefully can build on this, as Milan need him in good form.
Pulisic (6): He got the assist for Leao, although the latter did most of the work, and looked decent overall. With a full game, he probably would have done more.
Bartesaghi (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.
Zeroli (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.
