Milan Player Ratings vs Inter: Abraham Brilliance Insufficient | OneFootball

Milan and Inter shared the spoils in an intense 1-1 draw in the first leg of their mouth-watering Coppa Italia semi-final tie at the San Siro. Sergio Conceicao’s side dropped an early second-half lead but made it four consecutive meetings with the Nerazzurri without losing.

Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Napoli effectively ruled Milan out of contention for a top-four finish in Serie A, casting further doubt on their European ambitions. Therefore, extending a three-game unbeaten run against Inter was imperative in the first leg of this blockbuster tie.

It wasn’t an exciting first half, with both teams struggling to create many clear-cut chances. However, Inter nearly went 1-0 up on the stroke of halftime, but Mike Maignan pulled off a fantastic save to deny Davide Frattesi from point-blank range.

Only two minutes into the second half, Tammy Abraham gave Milan the lead with a stunning goal. Indeed, he comfortably got rid of Yann Bisseck before finishing with aplomb to put the Rossoneri in front. The designated home side’s advantage didn’t last for long.

Former Milan star Hakan Calhanoglu drew Inter level with an emphatic mid-range effort, pouncing on Joaquin Correa’s layoff to hammer the ball into the bottom corner. With the scoreline staying the same at the final whistle, there’s everything to play for in the return leg later this month.

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

Milan (4-2-3-1)

Mike Maignan – 7

His superb save to thwart Frattesi’s close-range header toward the end of the first half kept Milan alive in this match.

Kyle Walker – 6

It was another attacking-shy performance from the English superstar, though he held up his end of the bargain defensively.

Matteo Gabbia – 6.5

Despite lacking pace to cope with Marcus Thuram, the Italian defender fared reasonably well against one of Serie A’s best forwards.

Malick Thiaw – 6.5

Erratic in possession and often unable to anticipate the play, the ex-Schalke center-back failed to impress in the early stages but gradually improved as the game progressed.

Theo Hernandez – 6

Had an unexpectedly light work in defense but didn’t use it to his advantage as Milan often lacked his trademark runs down the left flank.

Youssouf Fofana – 7

Crucial in winning ‘second balls,’ the Frenchman was impeccable in the defensive phase, providing an extra layer of cover to his backline.

Tijjani Reijnders – 7

With Fofana watching his back, the Dutch maestro had all the freedom to work his magic in midfield, dictating the play with a touch of pure class.

Rafael Leao – 6

He was having fun on the flank but often without an end product. Martinez denied him early in the first half, though he should’ve scored.

Christian Pulisic – 5.5

Deployed more centrally, the USMNT forward struggled to impact proceedings, rarely playing any part in Milan’s attacking movements.

Alejandro Jimenez – 4.5

Conceicao’s decision to start him ahead of Samuel Chukwueze and Riccardo Sottil failed to pay dividends, as the Spaniard couldn’t beat Carlos Augusto in one-on-one situations.

Tammy Abraham – 7

It seemed like the Roma loanee had to settle for another frustrating night, only for a moment of brilliance to turn him into a Milan hero. It was a sublime goal.

Substitutes