AC Milan and Juventus held themselves to a 0-0 draw at San Siro, although a moment from Alexis Saelemaekers nearly resulted in a winner. Below are the player ratings for the Rossoneri.
Milan headed into the game with a little more confidence, having beaten Verona last time out, and they definitely looked more solid on the pitch. However, as many had predicted, it ended up being a tight affair and in the end, no one broke the deadlock.
For the Rossoneri, it was good to maintain the three-point gap and a few players also showed themselves on their good sides this evening. Saelemaekers was one of them, as alluded to, and Fikayo Tomori was another.
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If you haven’t already, make sure to check outhow we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.
Short version
🥇 Saelemaekers (7 – MOTM): For me, he’s the clear MOTM today with great work in both phases of the game. We often saw him winning the ball back, either through smart movement or tackles, and he was super lively in attack. Really unlucky not to get a goal with what was a nice strike, hitting the bar.
👎 Bartesaghi (5.5): He was carded for a clear foul and definitely got done a few times by Conceicao, who easily could have scored with a little more precision. The decision to take him off at half-time was right, not just because of the yellow card either.
👔 Allegri (6): We can have questions about the subs, above all Fullkrug instead of Gimenez, but overall I think he got the tactics pretty spot on. We scored zero goals, I know, but the fact is that we came closer than Juve at finding the winner. And besides, a draw was much better for us than the Bianconeri.
Starting XI
Maignan (6.5): The goalkeeper has several good stops tonight, and that was largely thanks to good positioning. He stood his ground, didn’t get too eager, and that especially helped on Conceicao’s efforts. Also a good save on Vlahovic at the end, even if it was eventually waved offside.
Tomori (6.5): Great display in the 1v1s against Boga, who is widely considered to be one of the best dribblers in the league. The Englishman used his pace and strength, recovering a few times even after being beaten in the initial duel.
Fikayo Tomori Milan
Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
Gabbia (6): Solid, although it must be said that David didn’t pose much of a threat in the centre of the box. It remains clear how much the academy product brings to the defence in terms of calmness.
Pavlovic (6): Just like Gabbia, he was solid most of the game defensively-speaking and also helped out a bit in attack. There were a few dodgy moments towards the end which could have caused more issues, but overall good.
Saelemaekers (7 – MOTM): For me, he’s the clear MOTM today with great work in both phases of the game. We often saw him winning the ball back, either through smart movement or tackles, and he was super lively in attack. Really unlucky not to get a goal with what was a nice strike, hitting the bar.
Fofana (5.5): He wasted a pretty decent chance in the first half after a nice first touch, so it was a very typical, and I also think he struggled to be synced with his teammates in the press. Not horrible by any means, just not up to par.
Modric (6.5): He was never bothered by Juve’s press, finding a way out of every situation, and we also saw him make several runs on the counter tonight. Let’s just hope the knock to the head is nothing serious.
Rabiot (6): There were some really good moments in the first half, including a powerful shot that forced Di Gregorio to a save, but the feeling is that he lost some momentum in the second half. Either Juve got better at closing him down, or he lost the energy. Still, a decent display.
Bartesaghi (5.5): He was carded for a clear foul and definitely got done a few times by Conceicao, who easily could have scored with a little more precision. The decision to take him off at half-time was right, not just because of the yellow card either.
Davide Bartesaghi Milan
Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
Pulisic (5.5): Apart from the nice pass in the build-up to Saelemaekers hitting the woodwork, it was another disappointing one for the American. Even when Milan sometimes played well to reach the final third, he struggled with his back against the goal and reading the play.
Leao (6): Maybe slightly too generous, maybe. However, my take is that he looked more lively than usual tonight and that helped him set up the chance for Saelemaekers, among other things. Maybe the tendency to slow down some counters should have resulted in a 5.5, though.
Substitutes
Estupinan (6): Yes, he was carded for a blatant foul on Conceicao, but there’s also no doubt that he was a lot more successful against the Juventus winger than Bartesaghi. In other words, job done, along with some decent interceptions.
Fullkrug (5.5): Really didn’t add that much to the game. If it was a physical presence that Allegri wanted in the box, he barely got it.
Ricci (6): He immediately made some nice runs and if it hadn’t been for some poor passes from teammates, there could have been more in terms of end-product.
Nkunku (N/A): I didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
The manager
Allegri (6): We can have questions about the subs, above all Fullkrug instead of Gimenez, but overall I think he got the tactics pretty spot on. We scored zero goals, I know, but the fact is that we came closer than Juve at finding the winner. And besides, a draw was much better for us than the Bianconeri.