To keep pace in the Champions League race Milan needed a victory in this match. With Fiorentina in poor form this was Milan’s game for the taking. In the first half Milan looked like a revitalized team as they controlled most of the possession and had many scoring chances. AC Milan looked to be the more motivated side being first to every ball and shutting down much of the Fiorentina attack. Milan were finally awarded in the 35th minute as a cross from Suso found the head of Hakan Calhanoglu who buried it in the back of the net. Going into half time a Milan victory looked promising.

As the second half started Fiorentina came out looking like a different squad. Fiorentina were now on the front foot and this forced Milan to sit back and defend. This second half Milan team is what we have been seeing in recent weeks. Fiorentina had many second half chances to try and tie up the game but outstanding performances from Gigio Donnarumma and Alessio Romagnoli stopped Milan from conceding. After 90 minutes the Milan defence held strong as they won 1-0. This win helps Milan stay in the hunt for fourth place and with two games left they must give it their all in order to win.

Let us now look at the individual player ratings for AC Milan. Share your thoughts in the comments below and follow us on Twitter @SBNRossonero

STARTING LINE-UP

Gianluigi Donnarumma: Another outstanding performance in this key match from Gigio Donnarumma. Whenever Milan has needed him most he continues to come up clutch making vital saves to lead Milan to victories. Numerous times in this match Donnarumma came up huge to save Milan from conceding. 7.5/10

Ignazio Abate: After last weeks great performance by Abate, did anyone think he could do it again? Well in short Abate put in another solid performance. Similar to last week he was everywhere on the field making runs in the attacking third and helping break up any attack by Fiorentina. 7/10

Matteo Musacchio: Musacchio got a surprise start in this match as many reported Zapata might get the opportunity in this match. The return of Romagnoli helped Musacchio immensely because he solidified the backline. Musacchio like usual was average at best with nothing particularly standing out. 6/10

Alessio Romagnoli: Returning from his one match suspension Romagnoli showed how important he is to this Milan team. When Romagnoli is in the squad everyone on the defence improves. Something that stood out about Romagnoli was his late clearance that saved Milan from conceding. 7/10

Ricardo Rodriguez: Lately Rodriguez has been in poor form like much of this Milan side. Rodriguez continued this mediocre form in this match. For much of the match Rodriguez struggled on the defensive end getting turned inside out by countless Fiorentina players. 6/10

Franck Kessie: Per usual Kessie was everywhere on the field running his heart out. However this was another match where Kessie showed he lacked quality in the final third. Many times Kessie lacked the touch and creativity and because of this many attacking runs by Milan were halted. 6.5/10

Tiemoue Bakayoko: After the conflict with Gennaro Gattuso was seemingly resolved Bakayoko was tipped to start. Bakayoko controlled the midfield and won countless balls in the middle of the pitch. It is good to see that the recent conflict has not affected the play of Bakayoko. 6.5/10

Hakan Calhanoglu: With the suspension of Lucas Paqueta, Calhanoglu was forced to shift to central midfield. Calhanoglu’s form was much like the rest of the Milan squad as his first half was good and the second half saw a drop in quality. 6/10

Suso: Another Milan goal created by the left foot of Suso. Aside from the beautiful cross to put Milan up 1 nil, Suso put in a hard working performance. In the first half he was creative and in the second half he put in work defensively to hold Fiorentina off. 6.5/10

Krzysztof Piatek: Well sadly this was another match where Piatek could not find the back of the net. With Piatek lacking in the goal department it is important that he contributes in other areas to help the team. As the frustration grows for Piatek it is paramount that he keeps focus. 6/10

Fabio Borini: I’m gonna go out on a limb and say nobody expected Fabio Borini to put in a performance like that. Shockingly Borini was great as his fabulous work rate was crucial to help Milan secure this victory. In the last 2 games performances like this from Borini will help Milan secure all 6 points. 7/10

SUBSTITUTES

Patrick Cutrone: Cutrone had a similar match to Piatek as he ran his ass off but his scoring drought continued. There isn't much else to say about Cutrone because as the second half continued Milan were forced to be more defensive. 5.5/10

Samuel Castillejo: Castillejo was brought on late in the match to keep a high defensive work rate. He put in a good 10 minutes that helped out the defence and secure the win. 5.5/10

Diego Laxalt: Laxalt came on for the injured Borini and didn't have much time to make his imprint on this match. N/A