AC Milan Player Ratings vs Hellas Verona: 7.5/10 for Tonali; uninspiring Giroud, Diaz get 5

Sandro Tonali’s late goal stunned Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi as AC Milan scraped past Hellas Verona 2-1 on Sunday.

AC Milan rebounded from their Champions League defeat to Chelsea by overcoming a spirited Hellas Verona on Sunday evening, despite looking far from their best. Sandro Tonali’s late winner means Milan remain the only unbeaten side in away matches in the big five European leagues in 2022 (excluding the current newly-promoted sides).

The Rossoneri got off to a fast start and took the lead after just nine minutes on the clock when Rafael Leao sprinted into the area. And his flicked cross was deflected in off the chest of Miguel Veloso. It was an unfortunate goal to concede for the hosts, who made a bright start to the game and outshone the visitors on the stats sheet with more shots, corners, and danger moments.

That said, they could have nearly been two down inside the first ten minutes, as Olivier Giroud wasted a glorious chance after linking up with Brahim Diaz. The French striker went through one-on-one with Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo but missed the target from a great position.

Verona eventually found the equaliser through veteran defender Koray Gunter. After the goal, Verona discovered their groove and started to dominate Milan’s poorly balanced midfield. Salvatore Bocchetti’s side were now causing the visitors all sorts of problems, with Milan desperate to restore the lead.

Milan sealed all three points in the 81st minute when substitute Ante Rebic’s ball across found Sandro Tonali in space inside the box. And the Italian midfielder made no mistakes in finishing past keeper Montipo. It was a below-par performance from Milan, but they crucially got the job done, and the result moved them up to third in the table. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Stefano Pioli’s men.

Ciprian Tatarusanu: 6/10

Another average night for the veteran goalkeeper, who has stepped in for the injured Mike Maignan. He was always rooted to his line, slow in releasing the ball, lacked distribution skills, and did not help his backline by more often than not making the wrong call when dealing with lofty aerial balls.

He did not command his box, and struggled with high claims despite being 6ft 6in. Milan fans will be relieved that Maignan will be back between the sticks in the next game.

Pierre Kalulu: 6/10

While it was far from his best game in a Milan shirt, Kalulu was decent on the right-hand side in both aspects of the game.

Matteo Gabbia: 7/10

Gabbia was immense at the back with his high volume of defensive actions as he made nine clearances, two tackles and two interceptions to keep the hosts at bay. He was comfortable on the ball, completing seven of his ten attempted long balls.

That said, he struggled a bit when he was isolated in one-on-one situations or asked to utilise his pace to win the ball back, as he was caught in no man’s land for Verona’s opener. To be fair to him, recovery speed has never been one of his strengths.

Fikayo Tomori: 6/10

A solid if unspectacular performance from the English centre-back, who made five tackles, two clearances, and two interceptions. He largely dealt well when called into a boxing match against a physical Thomas Henry, although he was dragged out of position a couple of times. But that was more down to Theo Hernandez’s in-field runs leaving the flank exposed rather than his own decision-making.

Theo Hernandez: 6.5/10

It was not an anonymous performance from Hernandez, as he did not make any glaring mistakes and played 3 key passes. But he should be involved more in Milan’s attacks. Perhaps his inverted role was not that successful on Sunday. That said, his presence is still important.

Yacine Adli: 6/10

Yacine Adli was handed a starting spot in Milan for the first time by Stefano Pioli. However, the former Bordeaux man failed to capitalise on his opportunity and was subsequently replaced by Ismael Bennacer. There were too many misplaced passes and lost balls, as he struggled to adjust to the high tempo of the game.

Sandro Tonali: 7/10

Just like a few months ago, it was once again Sandro Tonali who got Milan out of jail in Verona. Back in May, the former Brescia prodigy netted a brace at the Marc’Antonio Bentegodi Stadium in a crucial encounter for the Rossoneri’s Scudetto push.

On Sunday night, Tonali’s decisive goal helped Milan win 2-1 against his favourite opposition. Not only did he burst forward from midfield to get on the end of a clinical Milan attack, but he started it as well. While Milan’s midfielders were unable to hold onto the ball, Tonali worked his socks off to cover every blade of grass off-the-ball to keep his team from being overrun in the middle of the park. Man of the Match.

Rade Krunic: 5/10

An anonymous game from the Bosnian. He needs to rediscover his attacking form. Zero shots taken, zero chances created, he was not adding any fluidity to Milans attacking play. He made a solid defensive contribution, though.

Brahim Diaz: 5/10

Barring one nice layoff to Olivier Giroud, Brahim Diaz offered next to nothing to the game. He did not track or defend and was hooked off after 45 minutes. The Spaniard needs to improve his physicality and defensive tenacity to sustain himself at this level.

Rafael Leao: 7/10

One of the most electric attackers across Europe at the moment, Leao has created danger or a goal out of nothing countless times in the last couple of seasons. And this game was no different. He manufactured the crucial own goal all on his own and played his part in Tonali’s late winner.

Otherwise, Leao was involved in one or two more good attacking plays in the game but faded a bit in the second half. As opponents are doubling him up now, he needs a better supporting cast around him.

Olivier Giroud: 5/10

A game to forget for the veteran target-man, who has hit a poor run of form in front of goal lately. It was not his night as he missed a huge chance to put Milan into a two-goal advantage. The Frenchman also struggled to control the ball at times with shoddy hold-up play. He was not that involved in the open play.

SUBSTITUTES

Tommaso Pobega: 6/10

Pobega was vitally required for the physical duels and looked excellent when he drove forward with the ball at his feet.

Ante Rebic: 7/10

Rebic brought energy to Milan’s attack but missed two great chances. He should have taken his shots better. He still had a positive influence and made amends for his misses by assisting Tonali.

Ismael Bennacer: 6/10

Bennacer did not get as much time with the ball as he would have wanted. But he is clearly the best player at Stefano Pioli’s disposal to play alongside Tonali in the double pivot.

Divock Origi: 6/10

The Belgian striker made an impact off the bench, helping to create a couple of openings and imposing himself in the duels. Milan need more of the same from him to reduce the workload on Giroud.

Malick Thiaw: 7/10

The youngster came on and never shrugged away from putting his body on the line for the cause, making two crucial blocks, including a fantastic one in the dying embers of the game to make sure Milan come away with all three points.