Milan Player Ratings vs Crvena Zvezda: Abraham Saves Lethargic Rossoneri

Tammy Abraham’s late heroics propelled out-of-form Serie A giants Milan to an unconvincing 2-1 home victory against Red Star Belgrade. Milan’s performance in tonight’s UEFA Champions League game at Stadio San Siro flattered to deceive, but they claimed three precious points.

Paulo Fonseca cannot be proud of his team’s showing. However, it’s worth noting that Milan suffered two injury setbacks in the opening half an hour. Alvaro Morata and Ruben Loftus-Cheek had to come off, with Samuel Chukuweze and Abraham joining the fray off the bench.

Apart from Rafael Leao’s early chance, Milan didn’t create anything noteworthy until the talismanic winger broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute. Youssouf Fofana chipped the ball over the top for the Portuguese forward, who was calm and collected to put the Rossoneri in front.

Red Star drew level midway through the second half as second-half substitute Nemanja Radonjic netted a long-range screamer, leaving Mike Maignan helpless. After squandering the lead, Milan seemed disjointed and out of steam, failing to muster goalscoring chances.

When it looked like Fonseca’s charges would spurn a glorious chance to close the gap on the top eight, Abraham came to the rescue. The English striker pounced on a fortunate rebound inside the six-yard box, thumping the ball home to hand Milan an all-important win, lifting them within a single point of eighth-placed Lille.

Let’s look at our player ratings.

Milan (4-2-3-1)

Mike Maignan – 6.5

The French goalkeeper didn’t have much to do apart from making a few comfortable saves. Radonjic’s thunderous strike left him chanceless.

Davide Calabria – 5.5

We might be generous here. The Milan captain was awful in attack and insecure at the back, proving Fonseca right for trusting Emerson Royal.

Malick Thiaw – 6

Erratic in possession and over-zealous in defending, the German youngster made too many fouls in desperate attempts to recover the ball.

Matteo Gabbia – 6

It’s hard to count all the fouls he committed on Cherif Ndiaye, often lacking better anticipation. However, he was impressive in the air.

Theo Hernandez – 5.5

Theo’s dramatic downturn continues. After a disappointing showing against Atalanta, he delivered another sub-par performance tonight.

Youssouf Fofana – 6.5

His pinpoint long pass over Red Star’s defense teed up Leao for the opening goal, while he excelled in winning back possession and picking up second balls.

Tijjani Reijnders – 6

Milan fans expect more from the Dutch midfielder. Despite demonstrating glimpses of his world-class potential, he made several uncharacteristic mistakes in decisive moments.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6

Unafraid to take responsibility in the build-up, the towering Englishman fared well before being forced off by an injury.

Yunus Musah – 6.5

Clueless in possession but aggressive in winning it back, the USMNT midfielder compensated for his offensive shortcomings with tireless work in the center of the park.

Rafael Leao – 6.5

The well-taken goal was the only saving grace. His attitude issues came to the fore this evening. A forward of his quality cannot afford to waste so many balls in one game.

Alvaro Morata – 5

Useless before being taken off just before the half-hour mark!

Substitutes

Samuel Chukwueze – 6.5

Often devastating in one-on-one situations, the Nigerian saw his final touch let him down repeatedly.

Tammy Abraham – 7

A last-gasp winner was a fitting reward for the Roma loanee’s fantastic performance off the bench.

Emerson Royal – N/A

Francesco Camarda – N/A

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