Milan Player Ratings vs Genoa: Nkunku & Athekame Bring Rossoneri One Step Away from UCL | OneFootball

Serie A top-four hopefuls Milan bounced back from back-to-back defeats with a 2-1 victory at Genoa on their final road trip of the season. As such, they head into the final round of fixtures two points clear of nearest competitors Juventus and Como.

Seeking a way back to the win column after three consecutive games without a victory, Milan had no margin for error, with fifth-placed Roma drawing level on points last weekend. Indeed, there was nothing but a superior head-to-head record to separate the two sides before this afternoon’s kickoff.

After a goalless first half, Milan found an all-important opener through Christopher Nkunku, who returned to the starting lineup in the absence of Rafael Leao. The Frenchman drew a penalty and then converted it himself, scoring his seventh goal of the season.

When Zachary Athekame scored his second goal in Serie A in the 81st minute, it looked like Milan would stroll to a precious three points. However, Johan Vasquez gave Genoa a fighting chance in the 86th minute. Despite conceding another cheap goal, the Rossoneri endured a long ten minutes of added time to secure a much-needed victory.

Without further ado, let’s look at our Milan ratings.

Milan (3-5-2)

Mike Maignan (8/10) – Made a stunning save to thwart Jeff Ekhator after a terrible back pass from Christian Pulisic, but his defense let him down again, denying him first clean sheet in May.

Fikayo Tomori (7/10) – Fared reasonably well, all things considered, but another over-zealous challenge forced Allegri to take him off out of fear he could pick up another red.

Matteo Gabbia (6/10) – Not one of his most impressive performances this season. Nevertheless, he did enough to keep Lorenzo Colombo and Vitinha at bay.

Strahinja Pavlovic (8/10) – Undoubtedly Milan’s best defender today! Dominant in the air and calm in possession, the Serbian center-back did well to snuff out several dangerous situations before they could escalate.

Zachary Athekame (8/10) – The former Young Boys wingback couldn’t have picked a better moment to return to the scoresheet. Slotted home a perfectly-placed low shot with a weaker right foot to put clear daylight between the sides.

Youssouf Fofana (6/10) – Despite lacking creativity to help Milan unlock Genoa’s well-disciplined backline, the Frenchman’s energy and work rate helped maintain balance in midfield.

Ardon Jashari (6/10) – His abysmal season continued at the Luigi Ferraris, as the Swiss midfielder once again struggled to impose himself on the game and offered little creativity or composure in possession.

Adrien Rabiot (7/10) – Unlike his midfield colleagues, the 31-year-old emerged as Milan’s driving force, carrying the ball forward with purpose and providing the physical presence and composure needed to keep the visitors on the front foot.

Davide Bartesaghi (6/10) – Though he showed glimpses of attacking intent down the flank, the young gun struggled to deliver consistency in the final third and occasionally looked vulnerable when forced onto the back foot defensively.

Santiago Gimenez (4/10) – Another frustrating game for the Mexican striker, who had no impact on the game whatsoever before being taken off midway through the second half.

Christopher Nkunku (8/10) – Drew a decisive spot kick at the start of the second half and helped Milan get off the mark with another well-taken penalty.

Substitutions

Niclas Fullkrug 5/10

Samuele Ricci 6/10

Koni De Winter 6/10

Christian Pulisic 7/10