Milan Player Ratings vs Atalanta: Apathetic Rossoneri Slip Again | OneFootball

A forgettable Serie A campaign went from bad to worse for Milan as Atalanta won a maiden meeting between the sides on Easter Sunday. Ederson’s free header in the second half inspired Gian Piero Gasperini’s charges to their first league victory at the San Siro since January 2021.

With a must-win Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Inter waiting in the wings, Milan entered tonight’s clash seemingly distracted. Sergio Conceicao’s men looked up the creek without a paddle for most of the first half, often defending with the whole team without striking back.

However, Milan could’ve entered the break on the front foot, only for Luka Jovic’s dismal finish to leave the Rossoneri red-faced. Despite enjoying a far more promising start to the season half, the hosts couldn’t seize that momentum as Atalanta’s lightning-fast counter-attack caught them off guard.

Ederson finished La Dea’s quick break with a diving header to settle an evenly-contested affair at the San Siro and condemn Milan to a mid-table ignominy. Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.

Milan (3-4-3)

Mike Maignan – 6

Despite Atalanta’s stature as Serie A’s scoring superpower, the Frenchman conceded from La Dea’s only shot on target but could do nothing to deny Ederson’s close-range header. Pulled off a late leg save to thwart Ademola Lookman.

Fikayo Tomori – 6.5

Calm and collected in possession, the ex-Chelsea center-back fared decently in defense, keeping Lookman quiet. His vital block midway through the second half probably prevented Atalanta’s second.

Matteo Gabbia – 6.5

No-nonsense defending from the Italian ace! Atalanta’s attempts to threaten Maignan’s goal through crosses in the first half made his life easier.

Strahinja Pavlovic – 7

Strength, speed, aerial prowess, and tenacity made Pavlovic a commanding presence at the back, snuffing out the danger with authority while completely neutralizing Mateo Retegui.

Theo Hernandez – 6

Still adapting to the new role, the star left-back showed flashes of his former self but was atypically absent from Milan’s attacking plays for large spells.

Youssouf Fofana – 6

His defensive-splitting pass for Tijjani Reijnders in the first half nearly created a clear-cut-chance for Milan while his coast-to-coast run at the start of the second half brought the crowd to their feet.

Tijjani Reijnders – 5

Completely switched off from the get-go, the Dutchman lost too many balls and had several erratic attempts from distance when he had better options.

Alejandro Jimenez – 6

After a slow start against Lookman, the youngster shrugged off the early pressure to grow into the game, but his attacking contribution was modest at best.

Christian Pulisic – 5

Nothing went his way tonight. Uncharacteristically for the USMNT forward, he misplaced numerous simple passes and struggled in the link-up play.

Rafael Leao – 5.5

It was one of those nights where Milan couldn’t count on their superstar. Lazy and uninspired in possession, he seemed disengaged from the game’s rhythm.

Luka Jovic – 6.5

Too bad his final touch let him down on the stroke of halftime because he deserved a goal for tonight’s inspirational performance. Instrumental in the build-up!

Substitutes

Joao Felix – 4.5

Riccardo Sottil – 4