Heading into their final match day AC Milan knew they needed a victory against SPAL to better their chance to qualify for a Champions League spot. Not only did Milan need a victory but they also needed Inter Milan and Atalanta to slip up against their respective opponents. Milan came out swinging as they sped up the tempo and created chances that almost saw them take the lead. 18 minutes in Milan gained the lead off of a beautiful strike from Hakan Calhanoglu. Just five minutes later Franck Kessie doubled the Milan lead with a strike from inside the box. However the comfortable Milan lead did not last long as SPAL scored in the 28th minute. After a chaotic 10 minutes, play settled and Milan went into the half with the lead.

Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images

Coming out of halftime things were looking good for Milan as they were in a Champions League spot. However these great circumstances didn't last because as SPAL equalized both Inter and Atalanta took leads. As time went on many Milan fans lost hope that they could even beat SPAL. Finally Milan caught a break late in the match when Piatek was fouled inside the box and Milan were awarded a penalty. Kessie stepped up to the spot and buried it home to give Milan the lead. After 90 minutes Milan got their much needed victory but Inter and Atalanta were also victorious breaking the hearts of Milan fans around the world.

Now time to look at the Milan player ratings. Comment your thoughts below and follow us on Twitter @SBNRossonero

STARTING LINE-UP

Gianluigi Donnarumma: An injury saw Donnarumma leave very early on in this match. before the injury Gigio didn't have much to earn him a rating. N/A

Ignazio Abate: In what could have been his last match in a Milan shirt Abate could have done better. Abate was the one who conceded the free kick that allowed SPAL to score and keep Milan fans on the edge of their seat. 5.5/10

Alessio Romagnoli: What else is there to say about the Captain of this team, week in and week out he comes in a performs with no excuses. Another solid performance that saved Milan from defeat. 6.5/10

Matteo Musacchio: Well Musacchio is consistent but he is constantly mediocre. He has some moments of good play but at times he lacked concentration and gave the ball away too easily. 5.5/10

Ricardo Rodriguez: Rodriguez improved his recent run of poor form but not by much. He was decent in the defensive end and offensively he joined in on attacking plays for support. Even with the dip in form from Rodriguez is still the best option that Milan have at the moment. 6/10

Frack Kessie: On the last match day Kessie had one of his best performances. Kessie was all over the field and dominate. Kessie was rewarded for his effort as he scored twice helping Milan claim the victory. 7.5/10

Tiémoué Bakayoko: In this match Bakayoko was superb defensively but in the offensive end he was below average. Many of his passes don’t find the intended target. This held many Milan attacks up when they needed to pick up the pace. 6/10

Hakan Calhanoglu: For the third week in a row Calhanoglu had another lively performance. Like Kessie he was rewarded with a goal. This was a classic Calhanoglu goal a beautiful blast from outside the box. 7/10

Suso: Like many other of the Milan players Suso played with a sense of urgency. He continued his recent string of decent performances and helped Milan win the crucial penalty to win the match. 6.5/10

Krzysztof Piatek: Surprisingly Piatek actually had more then one chance in this match. Sadly he wasn’t able to capitalize on any of those chances. There was a shining light though as Piatek was awarded a penalty after a SPAL defender grabbed him inside the box. 6.5/10

Fabio Borini: This was a match where lord Borini didn’t have much of an impact. After a few decent performances Borini could have come up big but instead he fell flat. However Borini and his versatility allowed Milan to sub out Ignazio Abate and bring on a second striker. 5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Pepe Reina: Coming on very early for an injured Gigio Donnarumma, Reina was just good enough for Milan to squeeze out a victory. Reina didn't have to do anything spectacular like Gigio the week before. Both goals scored by Spal were not the fault of Reina but if Donnarumma in the net those shots might have been saved. 5.5/10

Patrick Cutrone: Once again Patrick Cutrone comes on and invigorates the Milan squad to keep fighting. Some of what Cutrone does cannot be found not he scoresheet but his movement and fight are vital to this Milan squad. 5.5/10

Andrea Conti: Conti didn't get much time to shine as he was brought on with only 10 minutes left. He was mediocre but most importantly he did not create a chance for SPAL to equalize. N/A