Fikayo Tomori was dreadful, while Jorginho and Mason Mount made the difference as Chelsea beat AC Milan 2-0 at San Siro on Tuesday.
Graham Potter may not have dreamed of going to San Siro for the first time as a football manager and returning with all three points. Refereeing decisions took precedence here, as Chelsea beat hosts AC Milan comfortably in the end.
Milan began the game brightly and looked like a side with a clear objective. But in the 18th minute, Fikayo Tomori was sent off with a straight red card after the defender seemed to pull Mason Mount down inside the box. In addition, Milan also conceded a penalty, which Jorginho dispatched past Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Around the 34th minute, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored Chelsea’s second to give the visitors control over the scorecard effectively. Between those two goals, Olivier Giroud missed a brilliant chance to equalise with a free header from close range.
The first half ended with the referee handing out five yellow cards and a red. Milan could never get going after Tomori’s dismissal, handing the reins to Chelsea as the visitors cruised through. Divock Origi’s tame effort in second-half stoppage time was Milan’s first shot on target, showing how much of a lacklustre performance it was from the Rossoneri.
🟥 18' Tomori
🟨 20' Mount
🟨 20' Giroud
⚽️ 21' Jorginho
🟨 29' Sterling
🟨 33' Gabbia
⚽️ 34' Aubameyang
🟨 36' KrunicQuite the first half in Milan. 😅#UCL
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) October 11, 2022
Tomori’s sending-off created plenty of controversy on social media, with the majority believing it should not have been a red card. The win, however, allowed Chelsea to go top of their group, which is quite a turnaround considering how they started their campaign. Here are the player ratings as Chelsea controversially beat Milan at San Siro.
AC Milan
Ciprian Tatarusanu: 6.5/10
Tatarusanu had a better game against Chelsea than the previous leg. The Romanian goalkeeper could do nothing about the two strikes but kept the scoreline intact by making important saves.
Pierre Kalulu: 6/10
Kalulu started the game at right-back but moved centrally to replace Tomori in central defence. He was a good presence there, and he stood firm against Chelsea’s challenge.
Matteo Gabbia: 6.5/10
Gabbia did not envisage such an evening as he soaked up the pressure and kept the defence ticking. After Tomori’s departure, he and Kalulu held the backline together and ensured the floodgates never opened for Chelsea to have a goal-laden night.
Fikayo Tomori: 3/10
It was a controversial decision to send Tomori off. However, the defender’s decision-making took centre stage as his departure put immense pressure on the rest of the team. Milan were a differnt side after the incident, and Chelsea took full advantage and wrapped up the game.
This was the foul that sent Tomori off and awarded Chelsea a penalty. pic.twitter.com/YDgAa92XwT
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 11, 2022
Theo Hernandez: 6/10
Hernandez was supposed to add some grit to the Milan attack with his timely return from injury. Instead, he took in the pressure and was energetic on the left-hand side.
Sandro Tonali: 7/10
Tonali did well under tremendous pressure. After a tough first period, the Italian midfielder took control of the situation and saw plenty of the ball. Unfortunately, he could not influence the game in his team’s favour, but this will be a great experience for his development.
Ismael Bennacer: 6.5/10
Much like the evening in London, Bennacer never had any control over proceedings in midfield. He supported Tonali well in the second period, as Milan kept things in check and never let Chelsea score another goal.
Rade Krunic: 4/10
Krunic was underwhelming when Milan needed their players to be a bit committed to the cause. The Bosnian attacker could not do anything with the ball, even when he had the ball.
Brahim Diaz: 6/10
We billed Diaz to have an influential game; instead, the Spaniard was substituted for another defender after Tomori’s dismissal.
Rafael Leao: 7/10
Leao was Milan’s best bet to get something from the game. The optimism was high whenever he had the ball, but he could not influence the game as he may have wanted to.
Olivier Giroud: 4/10
Giroud missed a gilt-edged chance to equalise from six yards out after missing a free header to get Milan back into the contest. That was the only meaningful attempt the team had in general.
SUBSTITUTES
Sergino Dest: 5/10
Dest was mostly tasked with defending the ball, as Milan found themselves under pressure. He came on to replace Diaz early in the first half after Tomori’s dismissal.
Tommaso Pobega: 5/10
Pobega replaced Bennacer and got himself in the referee’s book early on. He maintained his composure after that and saw the game through.
Ante Rebic: 4/10
Stefano Pioli had to take a few chances with his substitutions and brought on Rebic to find a way through Chelsea’s defence. The Croatian attacker could not influence the game in any manner.
Divock Origi: 4/10
Origi’s one notable contribution in the game was getting Milan’s first shot on target during the entire game.
Fode Ballo-Toure: N/A
He barely had any impact after coming on to get a rating.
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6/10
Kepa barely had anything to do all evening as he made his first save in second-half stoppage time. Surely, there cannot be a quieter game than this one.
Trevoh Chalobah: 6/10
Chalobah got another start and seemed to be growing into his role under the new manager. The youngster did a decent job at the back, as the defence was more relaxed than normal.
Thiago Silva: 6/10
Silva was calm and composed, sniffing out any potential threat created by the AC Milan attackers. His immense experience was on show at his old stomping ground.
Kalidou Koulibaly: 6/10
The Senegalese centre-back continued his recent good run and would be delighted by his performance following his return to Italy. While it was not one of those action-packed games when Napoli played Milan, Koulibaly would take this quiet performance over the intensity.
Reece James: 6/10
Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one 🤞🏾 Love for all the messages, I appreciate you all 💙🫶🏽 pic.twitter.com/2DvHS5r4lM
— Reece James (@ReeceJames) October 11, 2022
James had a decent game and did well against the threat of Leao. However, Chelsea and their fans will sweat over the injury that cut his night short.
Mateo Kovacic: 7/10
Kovacic continued to put in influential performances under Potter, as he had another one of those good outings. He was elegant in his movements and controlled the ball to get his team going forward.
Jorginho: 8/10
Jorginho was probably Chelsea’s best player on the evening, as the experienced midfielder put in a good showing. He tucked his penalty easily to give Chelsea the lead and was the heartbeat in midfield.
Jorginho’s game by numbers vs. AC Milan:
102 touches
100% long balls completed
97% pass accuracy
4 ground duels won
3 interceptions
2 clearances
2 tackles won
2 key passes
1 goalControlled the tempo. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/4kU7lwapEq
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 11, 2022
Ben Chilwell: 7/10
After a short run of games where he was underwhelming, Chilwell finally got to show his manager his best traits. There was a different energy from the Englishman on his flank, as he provided the attacking threat Chelsea needed.
Mason Mount: 8/10
Mount was a constant threat in the final third, as he fortified his role in the front three with another brilliant performance. He won the penalty to get the ball rolling for his side and remained consistent until half-time when he was taken off.
Lovely stuff. 🙌#UCL pic.twitter.com/72I4o7lxB1
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 11, 2022
Raheem Sterling: 5.5/10
Sterling did a fine job but should have been more of a threat, particularly after Milan went a man down.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6.5/10
Aubameyang quietly continued to wield his influence in the final third, and he got another goal under his belt.
SUBSTITUTES
Conor Gallagher: 5/10
Gallagher might have dreamed of an opportunity like this with his team in total control. Instead, he missed a brilliant chance to score and somewhat struggled to find his feet.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6/10
Azpilicueta brought his experience to the pitch as he replaced the injured James to see the game through. He helped his team keep a clean sheet.
Ruben Lotus-Cheek: 5/10
Loftus-Cheek was slightly off on the evening after he replaced Sterling around the 63rd-minute mark.
Kai Havertz: 5/10
Havertz could barely get into the game after coming on.
Marc Cucurella: N/A
A late arrival on the pitch to replace Chilwell, and he did not play enough time to get a rating.
