Player Ratings: Milan 1-0 Inter – Surprise derby hero as Luis Henrique falls short again
Pervis Estupinan is Football Italia’s Man of the Match in Milan’s 1-0 win over Inter.
Milan 1-0 Inter player ratings
Milan: Maignan 6.5; Tomori 6, De Winter 6.5, Pavlovic 6.5; Saelemaekers 6, Fofana 6.5 (73′ Ricci 6), Modric 7, Rabiot 6.5, Estupinan 7; Leao 5.5 (73′ Fullkrug N/A), Pulisic 6 (84′ Nkunku N/A). Coach: Allegri 7.
Best Milan player: Estupinan 7 – There are several, but Estupinan slightly beats his teammates thanks to his winning goal in the first half. Maignan was just as decisive a few minutes earlier as he produced a key save to deny Mkhitaryan. De Winter and Pavlovic were very solid at the back, Modric led the Rossoneri with experience and quality. Not a news that.
Lowest Milan rating: Leao 5.5 – He didn’t do much, did he? Even when the Rossoneri had space on the counter, the Portuguese star was too sloppy and made too many touches, losing momentum and hurting the opponents.
Milan coach: Allegri 7 – He told Estupinan after just seven minutes that he had to find space behind Luis Henrique, and that’s exactly how Milan scored the winning goal. Milan kept things tight at the back, but, to be honest, they probably thought they’d have needed to sit deeper to win the game.
Inter: Sommer 6; Bisseck 5.5 (80′ Diouf N/A), Akanji 6, Bastoni 5.5 (68′ Carlos Augusto 6); Luis Henrique 5 (59′ Dumfries 6), Barella 5.5 (68′ Frattesi 5.5), Zielinski 5.5, Mkhitaryan 6 (59′ Sucic 5.5), Dimarco 5.5; Esposito 5, Bonny 5. Coach: Chivu 5.
Best Inter player: Mkhitaryan 6 – It’s hard to pick one as many Nerazzurri were below par. Mkhitaryan probably had the best chance for the Nerazzurri, but was denied by Maignan, just a few minutes before Estupinan’s winner. Dumfries’ introduction in the second half was a clear upgrade on Luis Henrique. Inter have missed him so much.
Lowest Inter rating: Luis Henrique 5 – At the end of the day, he made the decisive mistake that allowed Milan to win the match. It had already happened against Juventus and Arsenal. When the Brazilian is defending, opponents will always have a chance to hurt on that flank. It happened tonight, and Estupinan didn’t waste it.
Inter coach: Chivu 5 – It wasn’t easy without his starting strikers. Lautaro was injured on the bench, and Thuram wasn’t available due to a fever. Inter have now lost their first game since the reverse fixture on November 23. Besides that, they were never really dangerous. The ball moved too slowly, and the strikers didn’t link up well. The good news is that Inter still hold a seven-point lead over Milan.