Milan-Lecce 3-0
MILAN (by Simone Bernabei)
Maignan 6 – Safe and hassle-free. In the first part of the first half he was good at not giving Lecce any strange ideas despite the Salento team’s repeated attempts.
Emerson Royal 6 – Match without infamy and without praise, for the former Tottenham. Little by little he seems more at ease in the team’s movements and especially in the first half he tries to give breadth and depth, but the precision of the play remains poor.
Tomori 6.5 – He’s fine and you can see it from his markings bad and from great speed recoveries on opponents. He had a scare in the first half due to what seemed like a muscle ache, but perhaps it was just a moment to rest from the bucking.
Cage 6.5 – A confirmation after the exploit in the derby. Fonseca asks for and seeks continuity and he, the only Italian on the pitch, is the perfect answer at the moment. Attentive and clear in every choice, with Lecce doing little to worry him anyway.
Theo 7.5 – The Theo of the best times, at least at times. He starts off slow, then his diesel heats up and suddenly increases the revs: first with the perfect assist for Morata’s goal, then with the acceleration and the stoned which lead to immediate doubling. From 75′ Bartesaghi 5 – His game lasts 4 minutes. Then he gets a direct red, probably questionable, and leaves his team with ten men.
Pulisic 7 – The numbers in the championship don’t lie: 6 games played. 4 goals and 2 assists. In what is probably his best start ever to his career, the American is the flagship of a Rossoneri team that when it lights up offers moments of beautiful football. From the 63rd minute Chukwueze 5.5 – Lecce leaves spaces, they don’t exploit them much.
Reijnders 6.5 – Elegant in the middle of the pitch, he is the first to try to give a shock with clever movements between the lines and passes as an attacking midfielder. Fonseca is probably right: there isn’t another midfielder with his qualities in the Rossoneri squad.
Fofana 6.5 – He’s one of those who is seen less, but how much substance he manages to give to the AC Milan midfield… He carries the ball if needed, plays one touch when he’s in tight spots, harpoons loose balls and not repeatedly. From 63′ Musah 6 – He confirms himself to be extremely flexible: first as a dyke in front of the defence, then as left back when the team is down to ten men.
Leao 6.5 – He starts off sleepy despite the captain’s armband. Some wrong passes and a marking by Dorgu that puts him in difficulty. Then it starts to surf as he knows how to do and scores the assist for Theo’s goal, his vice-captain for the occasion.
Morata 7 – And to think that he didn’t even have to play due to a contusion… There was a surprise from the start and as usual it made itself felt: the goal, from a bomber, which opened the scoring, many decisive movements for the team and the feeling that this is already his Milan. From 56′ Loftus-Cheek 6 – Good impact, with the right attitude after another bench at the start of the season. Muscles and intensity keep the team high.
Abraham 6 – His statistical data is missing from the appeal, among the 4 of the attack. He works and shouts, runs and puts his heart into it: he hits the post before Pulisic’s goal, even if perhaps it is more a problem of cynicism than bad luck. From 76′ Jovic sv.
Paulo Fonseca 7 – He’s right once again. He looks for continuity in the lineup, finds it and brings home another 3 points which take him at the top of the table together with Torino for at least one night. Five minutes of fire are enough to defeat Lecce. But in those 300 seconds you can see flashes of excellent Milan.
LECCE (by Paolo Lora Lamia)
Falcone 6 – Some good interventions to make the deficit less burdensome, but he too was swallowed up by the Rossoneri vortex in the 4 minutes in which he scored 3 goals.
Dorgu 5 – Deployed further back than usual, he starts with a good attitude but then experiences an increasingly nightmarish evening against Leao and Theo Hernandez.
Gaspar 5.5 – One of the most positive as long as the game is balanced. Despite the deficit, it is not among the most insufficient.
Baschirotto 5 – Like his teammate, he had a paradoxical evening with Morata’s 1-0 goal which was a watershed in the perception of his performance. Unlucky protagonist on Pulisic’s goal.
Rooster 6 – Some good initiatives, at the start but also in the second half and that is when many teammates drop their tone. He deserves sufficiency.
Ramadan 5.5 – There isn’t the usual metronome, in stopping the opponent’s actions as well as in setting up the Giallorossi one. Slightly better after the break.
Pierret 5 – Surprise choice from the Lecce midfield, increasingly suffering over the course of the 90 minutes. From 73′ Raffia 6 – Final without errors, but with the score already largely compromised.
Coulibaly 5 – Fairly anonymous in the middle of the pitch, where Fonseca’s opponents have the upper hand on several occasions. From 83′ Oudin sv.
Dying 5 – Applied to his area of expertise, at least until Milan goes wild. On the occasion of the 2-0, he is the one who gets mocked by Theo Hernandez. From 59′ Band 6 – He gives new life to the attack, even having an opportunity to score.
Krstovic 5 – He has an opportunity at the start of the match and does a good job for the team. However, he came up short on the first AC Milan seal, being overtaken in the aerial duel by Morata.
Rebic 6 – The ex of the evening doesn’t suffer from emotion, creating some good situations on the left front and showing himself even when there is a need to defend himself. From 73′ Pierotti 6 – He had a chance in the final minutes, but Maignan denied him the joy of scoring the flag.
Luca Gotti 5 – Also difficult match to judge, because in fact it was decided in 5 minutes at the end of the first half. What needs to be saved is the attitude of his team up until that moment and the desire to stay in the match in the second half to avoid the defeat.