A blockbuster Derby della Madonnina ended with the AC Milan and Inter Milan sharing points as Hakan Calhanoglu scored a goal against his former club.
AC Milan kept their unbeaten run going, although they missed the chance to go two points clear of Napoli, who could only manage a draw with Hellas Verona. Inter Milan denied them the opportunity as Hakan Chalhanoglu marked his return in front of the Milan fans with a goal for their local rivals.
It was a frantic first period as both goals of the game came early in the contest. Franck Kessie gave away a crucial penalty, from which former Milan star Calhanoglu made no mistake to put Inter in front. Later, a Sandro Tonali set-piece created chaos in the Nerazzurri box, from which Stefan de Vrij headed into his own net to level the scores.
Around the 25th minute, Fode Ballo-Toure conceded a second penalty, but Lautaro Martinez decided to step up and missed as Ciprian Tatarusanu made one of the best penalty saves. Inter looked more likely to score the next goal among the rivals as they pressured Milan and pinned them at the back.
Arturo Vidal missed a brilliant chance to give Inter the lead, and later Zlatan Ibrahimovic could have done the same for Milan, but his thunderous, low free-kick was saved well by Samir Handanovic. Both teams shared the points in the end, as Milan kept the pressure up on top as they sit level on points with Napoli. Here’s how players from the Derby Della Madoninna rated.
AC Milan
Ciprian Tatarusanu – 8/10
Crucial in earning Milan the point in the end. He seems to be growing in his role in the absence of Mike Maignan. A terrific save from the Martinez spot-kick in the first half, although he couldn’t do the same with Calhanoglu’s penalty. Otherwise showed very good command in his area as he thwarted any possible Inter goal.
Davide Calabria – 6.5/10
Calabria kept things tight in the right-back position even as Ivan Perisic and Alessandro Bastoni constantly kept him on his toes. Did well overall to form an important part of the backline that earned a point.
Simon Kjaer – 7/10
Kjaer was tasked with dealing with the physical presence of Edin Dzeko and did well to keep the Bosnian quiet for most parts. Even dealt well with the threat of Lautaro Martinez.
Fikayo Tomori – 6.5/10
Much like Kjaer, he kept his man in check at all times, as Martinez found it hard to get anything out of the English defender. Great partnership with the Dane, which is growing with each passing game.
Fode Ballo-Toure – 4/10
A poor game from the Milan full-back. Such a performance has been coming after similar disappointing displays in the absence of Theo Hernandez. He gave away the second penalty, only for Tatarusanu to save his blushes. Did make a good block from a Nicolo Barella shot.
Sandro Tonali – 6/10
Tonali needs to assert himself more in games against bigger sides, as the midfielder often handed over the control of the area to his opponents. He remains Milan’s best set-piece taker, although he needs improvements in other parts of his game. Ismael Bennacer did much better in his place after coming on.
Franck Kessie – 3/10
Calamitous at best. Kessie, who is considered one of the leaders in midfield for Milan, had a terrible evening. Conceded the early penalty for Calhanoglu to give Inter the lead, while as the game grew, his performances diminished with sloppiness in possession and a general lack of control in midfield.
Rade Krunic – 4/10
Worked hard to make his presence felt on the pitch. But, Krunic had no impact on proceedings whatsoever and certainly lacks the quality to make a difference in a game of this magnitude.
Brahim Diaz – 3/10
An anonymous performance from a player who was supposed to be the creative hub for the team. To his credit, this game may have come too early since his recent bout with Covid but was nowhere near his best.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6/10
Ibrahimovic did his job rather well. Held the ball well up the pitch to bring others into play. He did miss a good chance in the second half after his low, thunderous free-kick was saved well by Handanovic.
Rafael Leao – 4.5/10
Worked hard throughout on the left side, although barely had any effective contribution to show for. Faded away in the second period, as he hardly had any support in the attack.
Substitutes
Pierre Kalulu – 6/10
Replaced the calamitous Ballo-Toure and instantly brought calmness on that side as he dealt with the threat of Matteo Darmian much better.
Ante Rebic – 6/10
Rebic’s introduction changed the energy of Milan’s attack and certainly made a difference to their approach in the forward areas.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 5.5/10
Hit the post after coming on with a good effort. This was his only contribution apart from a few chance-creation attempts.
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 5/10
As the game went, holding on to the single point became the priority. Bakayoko helped achieve that as he shut out some of Inter’s attacks.
Ismael Bennacer – 7/10
Bennacer replaced Tonali and instantly gave Milan a sense of control in midfield. That aspect also changed their approach a bit as they attacked Inter with more vigour.
Inter Milan
Samir Handanovic – 6/10
Barring the good save from an Ibrahimovic free-kick, Handanovic had barely anything to do in the box. Whenever called into action, he showed his experience in collecting balls.
Milan Skriniar – 7/10
Skriniar was tasked to keep Leao quiet, which he did for the most part, as the Slovakian physically imposed himself. He kept things tight at the back without leaving anything to chance.
Stefan de Vrij – 5.5/10
The own goal marred de Vrij’s colossal display at the back. Otherwise, keep things in control at the back, dealing with the threat posed by the dangerous Ibrahimovic.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6/10
Bastoni made some forays into the final third with some good runs, as he looked more like an unorthodox winger than a centre-back during many moments in the game. He created a very good chance for Barella late in the contest.
Matteo Darmian- 7/10
Darmian was a livewire on the right flank, with his average position looking quite advanced. He kept the Milan left-backs on their toes and got his reward by winning a penalty.
Nicolo Barella – 6/10
Barella’s hamstring injury in the second half might be a concern for Inter, as the midfielder put in a lively performance before that. Had a shot cleared off the line, and kept things ticking along in midfield.
Marcelo Brozovic – 7/10
Brozovic was the key cog in helping Inter win the midfield battle as he proved too good for the likes of Tonali and Kessie. Even Bennacer, later on, couldn’t get past him easily.
Hakan Chalhanoglu – 7/10
A sensational return to his old side in rival colours. Opened the scoring like a pantomime villain, scoring from the penalty spot to put Inter ahead. Away from the dramatics, the Turkish star put in a strong performance from midfield.
Ivan Perisic – 6/10
Perisic caused Calabria all sorts of problems with his partnership with Bastoni on the left flank. Did well throughout, as he offered a solid threat but was unable to create a lot of goalscoring opportunities.
Lautaro Martinez – 6/10
He missed the penalty, which could have given Inter the lead and probably the authority to see the game out. Otherwise, he was good enough in the forward areas.
Edin Dzeko – 5.5/10
Held the ball well, although he somewhat struggled due to Kjaer’s energy at the back. He, too, went off injured, which will be a concern for Simone Inzaghi.
Substitutes
Arturo Vidal – 5/10
He could have been a decisive substitute had his shot found its destination. Otherwise, he was decent.
Joaquin Correa – N/A
He barely did anything since coming on to influence the game and gets no rating.
Denzel Dumfries – N/A
Inter needed fresh legs to take on the Milan defence. Failed to impact the proceedings.
Alexis Sanchez – N/A
A late cameo appearance saw him barely get involved in the game.
