Milan secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Udinese on Sunday with Ante Rebic’s last-gasp strike sealing all three points for Stefano Pioli’s men.
After a nightmare start, the Rossoneri launched a stirring comeback before being pegged back late on by Kevin Lasagna.
SEE MORE: Five key talking points as Rebic leads Milan to thrilling win over Udinese
It looked as though we were set to drop two points in disappointing fashion, but up stepped Rebic to bag a late winner to emerge as the Man of the Match.
The Croatian international wasn’t the only player to impress though, with Pioli having plenty of positives to be pleased with, although naturally there were weaknesses in the side too.
Milan player ratings vs Udinese
Gianluigi Donnarumma, 6 – Bad misjudgment which led to Udinese’s opening goal, but to his credit he bounced back from that disappointment and produced several key saves to keep us in the encounter.
Andrea Conti, 6 – Mixed bag from the right back as he looked nervous in the first half on the ball and lost Lasagna for the second goal. However, he did produce an assist for Rebic’s first and when he did get stuck in, he looked much better.
Simon Kjaer, 5.5 – Lack of pace was exposed by Lasagna and physically struggled with Stefano Okaka. While he impressed in midweek, this wasn’t the most impressive of outings.
Alessio Romagnoli, 6 – Solid performance from the captain as he was alert to danger throughout and put the pressure on the Udinese frontline when in possession to try and limit their threat.
Theo Hernandez, 7 – Produced a special strike to put us ahead as that’s now five Serie A goals so far this season. Continues to impress with his attacking play down the left flank, but must still improve defensively as Udinese exposed the space he left behind while going forward.
Samu Castillejo, 6.5 – Another impressive performance from the Spaniard who has now seemingly relegated Suso to the bench on a permanent basis. Excellent work-rate which we come to expect, but is now adding quality on the ball too. Showed brilliant flair for one stand-out piece of skill in the second half.
Franck Kessie, 5.5 – Anonymous in the early stages of the game as we struggled in the midfield battle, and didn’t improve much after that either even as we improved in the second half. Question marks will perhaps be raised over his place in the side again.
Ismael Bennacer, 7 – Needs to tidy up his tackling still as can look clumsy at times, but overall his urgency, intensity and work ethic have made him an integral part of the XI. Constantly broke up Udinese attacks and pushed play up the pitch quickly to get us moving. A top display from the combative midfielder.
Giacomo Bonaventura, 5 – The 4-4-2 system doesn’t seem to suit him as it’s questionable as to whether or not he has the legs to play that role on the left flank. Struggled off the ball to keep up with play and wasn’t able to make an impact in the final third. May be out of the side with Hakan Calhanoglu and Rebic pushing him for a place in the line-up.
Rafael Leao, 6 – Improved in the second half, but he can clearly be a nightmare for opposition defences if he is more consistent and offers more on and off the ball. Looks a real handful in bursts, but Milan need more from him moving forward especially with Ibrahimovic also not doing much in the defensive phase.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 6 – Didn’t manage to get his goal, but was a real handful for the Udinese defence with his movement, physicality and creative work. There was one chance in particular in the second half just before Lasagna’s goal where he should have scored, but another positive outing for the stalwart.
Substitutes
Ante Rebic, 8 – Superb impact off the bench in the second half, as he scored two great goals which boosted his confidence and resulted in a much improved display. If he can build on that, his direct running, skill and goal threat could help him force his way into the XI in the coming weeks.
Rade Krunic, 6 – A decent impact as Milan switched formation and with Kessie still not producing, he could have an argument to get his place back in the XI.