Milan suffered a defeat away to Roma as Radja Nainngolan sent the red and blacks packing with a brilliant left footed curler. The Rossoneri were unable to adjust as they were overwhelmed by the second half pressure in the capital. Below are the player ratings:
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5
The young shotstopper made a few great saves, however was caught a bit out of position on Nainggolan’s finely placed finish. He’s improved his ability to distribute with his feet but there are still glares here and there.
LB: Mattia De Sciglio – 6
De Sciglio was solid defensively but misplaced a few passes that put the Giallorossi on the counter.
CB: Gabriel Paletta – 5
The rugged veteran provided strength for his side, however he was guilty of a few fouls in crucial areas. He struggled to possess Dzeko and made a few questionable passes himself.
CB: Alessio Romagnoli – 6
The young Italian was solid in the back but wasn’t his usual fined tuned self due to the Roma pressure. He was stripped of the ball while bringing it out of the back which led to one of the better chances for Roma, but recovered well to defend it.
RB: Ignazio Abate – 6.5
The captain defended his side well from the likes of Peres and El Shaarawy. He was caught out once or twice but he overlapped well with Suso when opportunity presented.
CM: Mario Pasalic – 5
The young Croatian enjoyed a decent first half but faded away in the second half before he was replaced by Honda late in the game. Linked up well early on but showed indecisiveness and was punished for it a time or two.
CM: Manuel Locatelli – 6
The Primivera product had difficulty getting through the midfield of the Giallorossi, however, he showed a few glimmers of why he’s so highly touted. He’s maturing more into his role and the inconsistencies are to be expected against the stronger sides.
CM Andrea Bertolacci – 6.5
Bertolacci made a decent showing in his first minutes since an 85’ sub in for Giacomo Bonaventura back at the beginning of the season. Much like Locatelli, he had trouble with the pressure from Roma’s midfield, however he did link up well with Niang and made some quality runs as well. It was a cutting pass from Bertolacci that led to the missed penalty.
LW: M’Baye Niang – 4.5
The Frenchman was handled easily by Rudiger and was relatively ineffective for most of the game. After Lapadula went down in the box in the first half, Niang had his spot kicked parried away by Szczesny. That marks four misses in his last seven penalties. It wasn’t the Frenchman’s best game but it was by no means his worst
ST: Gianluca Lapadula – 6.5
Lapadula struggled to adapt to the strength and ruggedness of Manolas, Rudiger, and Fazio however he drew the penalty when he latched on to Bertolacci’s pass and Szczesny clattered into him. The former Pescara man linked up well with Suso and worked tirelessly to put on pressure of his own.
RW: Suso – 7
The Spanish winger stepped up in place of Jack Bonaventura and was creative in attack, dribbling through defenders left and right. Suso came up just short of an assist but Lapadula was a tad late to his ball. Easily put in the most quality shift of any in his side.