Milan Player Ratings vs Lazio: Leao Turns on MVP Mode

Milan squeezed past Lazio in Saturday night’s Serie A classic and will spend the night at the top of the standings. Rafael Leao scored the winning goal at Stadio San Siro, helping his side leapfrog Roma at the summit.

Despite brimming with confidence after last weekend’s 1-0 win over Inter, Milan started the game rather slowly. Indeed, Lazio dominated proceedings in the first half, creating several chances. However, Mike Maignan picked up where he left off against the Nerazzurri.

Milan finished the first half without a shot on target. Yet, they turned the tide after the break. Leao broke the deadlock only six minutes after the break, latching onto Fikayo Tomori’s delightful low cross for his fifth league goal of the season.

Leao’s goal shifted the momentum firmly in Milan’s favor. Still, the Rossoneri couldn’t kill the game off early, wasting a couple of promising chances, including Ivan Provedel’s remarkable save to deny Leao’s towering header midway through the second half.

Though Lazio struggled to find a way past Milan’s low block, they nearly got a last-gasp penalty, as Strahinja Pavlovic handled the ball in the box. After reviewing the incident with VAR, referee Giuseppe Collu refused to point to the spot, awarding a free-kick to Milan for a foul in the build-up.

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

Milan (3-5-2)

Mike Maignan – 8/10

Though Lazio failed to test him the way Inter did last weekend, the French goalkeeper rose to the challenge once again, making four saves on his way to a second consecutive clean sheet in Serie A.

Strahinja Pavlovic – 8/10

Despite almost giving away a last-minute penalty, the Serbian defender was outstanding tonight, making light work of Gustav Isaksen. He nearly scored a well-taken volley as well.

Matteo Gabbia – 7/10

No-nonsense defending and aerial supremacy highlighted Gabbia’s rock-solid display. He handled the physical battle with Boulaye Dia and Taty Castellanos well and stayed composed under Lazio’s increased pressure.

Fikayo Tomori – 8/10

After a relatively underwhelming start, the former Chelsea star grew into the contest, asserting his dominance at the back while providing an inch-perfect assist to Leao.

Davide Bartesaghi – 7/10

It wouldn’t be too much to say that this was the youngster’s most impressive performance in the Milan shirt. His crosses often created chaos inside Lazio’s penalty area, while he nearly set up Leao for the second goal.

Adrien Rabiot – 6/10

The Frenchman’s lengthy spell on the sidelines took its toll as he looked a bit rusty this evening. His decisions in the final third were often wrong, and sometimes it felt like he needed ages to pass the ball.

Luka Modric – 7/10

Apart from one or two atypical errors, the veteran superstar was once again the beating heart of Milan’s midfield, pulling the strings with his trademark precision and controlling every phase of possession.

Youssouf Fofana – 6/10

His energy and tireless runs in the midfield helped Milan turn the page in the second half, yet he lacked composure in the crucial moments. His epic fail in the second half may even end up as meme material.

Alexis Saelemaekers – 6/10

The versatile winger had a quiet night, but he participated in Milan’s winning goal and came close to slotting home a thunderous volley.

Christopher Nkunku – 5/10

It was a near-anonymous showing from Milan’s marquee summer signing.

Rafael Leao – 8/10

In contrast to out-of-sorts Nkunku, the Portuguese ace was clinical. In addition to scoring the winner, the Rososneri talisman tested Provedel twice more.

Substitutions

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6/10