Player Ratings: Venezia 0-2 AC Milan – Pulisic breaks drought; Leao struggles | OneFootball

AC Milan clinched all three points after a rather scrappy game away at Venezia, with Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez on the scoresheet. Below are the player ratings for the Rossoneri.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.

Starting XI

Maignan (6): Venezia had some dangerous chances but only managed two shots on target, with the Milan goalkeeper not tested that much. He was good with his feet today and did most things right, with a clean sheet in the end as well.

Tomori (6): The Englishman was heavily involved in the build-up for Milan, especially in the first half, and had a decent game overall. A couple of interventions could have been timed better, that much is true, but at the same time he had some good moments.

Gabbia (6): Just like Tomori, there were a couple of situations that could have been handled better, but the academy product had some crucial interventions especially at the end. Nothing spectacular, but good enough for a 6 here.

Photo by AC Milan

Pavlovic (5.5): It was a rough first half for the Serbian as he lost every single 1v1 aside from one at the end, with Yeboah having the clear upper hand. In fairness to the centre-back, it was much better in the second half, but not enough to get a pass here.

Jimenez (6): It certainly wasn’t as electric as the derby performance, with some lost balls as well, but he was heavily involved in the build-up for most of the game (when he was still on). He’s not afraid to pass with his left foot either which helps a lot. He was also the one who won the ball back before Pulisic’s goal.

Fofana (6): He started the game with a very nice assist for Pulisic, waiting until just the right moment to play the pass, and he continued to be important with his interceptions, runs forward and combinations. However, he also had some very poor passes today and unfortunately, it overshadows a lot of the positives. Still, definitely enough for a pass, but it could have been even better.

Reijnders (6.5): With his ability to drive forward with the ball, and find spaces in between, he remains a very important player. However, with several of the attackers struggling, Milan didn’t take advantage of his quality that much. Up until the 96th minute, I mean, as the Dutchman picked out Gimenez with a fantastic pass. It was going to be a 6, but that assist sealed the boost.

Hernandez (5.5): He lost multiple defensive duels in the first half and looked very sluggish when going forward, almost as if he was about to stumble the entire time. We saw better actions from him in the second half but overall, it was well below his best.

Pulisic (7 – MOTM): The winger finally found the back of the net again and it was a lovely goal, making a good run into the box before slotting it home. After that, he did well on the ball and was one of the few in Milan’s attack who actually had some success.

Photo by AC Milan

Abraham (5.5): He wasn’t meant to start but did so after a late change, with Jovic clearly feeling some discomfort in the warm-up. Unfortunately for the Englishman, he didn’t take the opportunity despite being somewhat involved in the first goal, deflecting the pass that Jimenez then intercepted.

In the second half, he had a great chance to double Milan’s lead but decided to take the shot early, skying his effort. You could also argue that he should have passed to Leao, who would have been 1on1 with the keeper.

Leao (5): It was certainly a game to forget for the Milan star, who failed with all of his attacking attempts in the first half, while seemingly lacking the crucial determination and desire. The second half was slightly better with one or two good moves, but Conceicao took him off after 70 minutes and rightly so.

Substitutes

Gimenez (6): It was a tough watch initially as he tried to bulldoze his way through every chance he got, with little success. However, the dink right at the end should help boost his confidence, as it was indeed a nice finish.

Walker (6): The veteran did well off the bench, not only intercepting a lot of passes at the back but also finding space in attack. He will surely be looking to make his way back into the starting XI.

Loftus-Cheek (5.5): He started with a really good cross for Gimenez but a few minutes later, he missed a huge chance, skying his effort like Abraham. Milan had a 4v2 so he should have passed instead.

Joao Felix (6): In the little we saw from him, it was actually good as he made use of his technique to frustrate Venezia’s defence.

Terracciano (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him rating.