Milan Player Ratings vs Fiorentina: Leao Sends San Siro into Dreamland | OneFootball

Serie A title hopefuls Milan fought back from a second-half deficit to beat Fiorentina 2-1 on Stefano Pioli’s return to San Siro. The Rossoneri spoiled Pioli’s 500th Serie A game as a manager to leapfrog Inter at the table’s summit.

Milan entered the international break narrowly off the Scudetto pace after a scoreless draw against Juventus knocked them down from a four-game winning league streak. Christian Pulisic, who squandered a penalty in that encounter in Turin, was unavailable for selection tonight.

Forced to make several personnel changes, Allegri handed Rafael Leao his first Serie A start of the season. However, the superstar’s return to the starting XI didn’t do any good to Milan in the opening 45 minutes as they looked toothless in attack, finishing the half without a shot on target.

If it’s any consolation, they prevented an out-of-sorts Tuscan side from attempting a single shot on goal before halftime. Despite an underwhelming first-half showing, Fiorentina drew first blood as Robin Gosens took advantage of Matteo Gabbia’s clumsy reaction to tap the ball into an empty net.

Fiorentina’s celebrations didn’t last long, with Leao bagging a stunning equalizer, beating David De Gea from long range with an inch-perfect low effort. Like in the match against Juventus, Santiago Gimenez drew a penalty for his team, though he did off the bench this time. While Pulisic couldn’t convert a spot-kick at the Allianz Stadium Leao made no mistake, turning the game on its head.

Milan (4-4-1-1)

Mike Maignan – 6/10

Untested in the first half, the star goalkeeper nearly caused chaos with a reckless attempt to dribble Moise Kean inside his own six-yard box, but he escaped without punishment on that occasion.

Strahinja Pavlovic – 7/10

Another impressive performance from the towering center-back as he dominated his opponents in every duel. Wasted a glorious chance to break the deadlock midway through the first half, skying a short-range shot well over the crossbar.

Matteo Gabbia – 5/10

Although he occasionally struggled against Kean, the Italian defender held his ground against one of Serie A’s best strikers. However, his sluggish reaction helped Gosens open the scoring.

Fikayo Tomori – 6/10

After being caught off guard in the early stages of the game, the Englishman grew into the contest, but he still had several lapses of concentration in the second half.

Zachary Athekame – 5/10

The Swiss wingback left a bleak impression in his maiden Serie A start, as he looked unconvincing both on and off the ball.

Youssouf Fofana – 7/10

Milan’s most energetic midfielder tonight worked his socks off, covering substantial ground on both ends of the field as he helped the Rossoneri win the midfield battle.

Luka Modric – 7/10

He has been the beating heart of this Milan side since arriving from Real Madrid in the summer, and nothing changed this evening. The diminutive maestro dictated the pace of the game with his signature passing and vision.

Samuele Ricci – 6/10

The former Torino ace may have failed to get on the mark, yet it’s fair to say he seized the opportunity, proving his capacity to become an important player for Milan in the future.

Davide Bartesaghi – 6/10

Though he fared reasonably well in defense, the Milan academy graduate offered nothing in the front third, often passing the ball back instead of progressing forward.

Alexis Saelemaekers – 6/10

Except for a wayward shot on the stroke of halftime, the Belgian did almost nothing in front of goal. Yet, he improved drastically after returning to his preferred position on the wing.

Rafael Leao – 9/10

After a near-anonymous first-half showing, the quicksilver forward stepped up when Milan needed him most, scoring a delightful equalizer from over 20 yards out. Kept his composure to dispatch a late penalty.

Substitutes

Santiago Gimenez – 8/10