Milan put in a superb display as we secured a 5-1 win over Bologna on Saturday night, with a string of individuals putting in star performances to seal the victory.
Goals from Alexis Saelemaekers, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ismael Bennacer, Ante Rebic and Davide Calabria ensured we dealt with the visitors in dominant fashion in what was an all-round top effort from all concerned.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as relentless Milan hit five past Bologna in top-class display
Our attacking play in particular was brilliant at times, but the defensive effort across the team was also key as we controlled the game for large periods and fully deserved our comprehensive win to continue our march towards qualifying for the Europa League next season.
Milan player ratings vs Bologna…
Gianluigi Donnarumma, 6.5 – Little he could have done to stop Bologna’s goal as it was a stunning strike, and he produced two key stops in the second half to keep things tight at the back.
Davide Calabria, 7 – A positive outing and a big step in the right direction as he provided freshness on the right side having replaced Andrea Conti in the line-up. Defensively sound for the most part and scored our fifth having started the move before producing a great finish.
Simon Kjaer, 7 – Commanding display from the experienced centre-half, as he didn’t give the Bologna attack a sniff as he used his physicality and reading of the game really well to nullify their threat.
Alessio Romagnoli, 6.5 – Was solid for most of the encounter but gets marked down as he surely has to get tighter and do better in denying Takehiro Tomiyasu a shot on goal as the Bologna ace skipped past our captain far too easily.
Theo Hernandez, 7 – Offered a quality attacking outlet down the left flank as he grabbed an assist, but as has been the case in recent weeks, he’s also now impressing with his defensive contribution as he’s looked increasingly impressive in shoring things up on that flank.
Franck Kessie, 7 – Unfortunate to not get on the scoresheet for a fourth consecutive game as he went close on two occasions in particular. However, his improvement continues as he put in another top performance and looks so much more composed and assured in possession as he seemingly always has more time to make the right decisions.
Ismael Bennacer, 7.5 – Capped off another top-class display with his first goal for the club. Dominant in both phases of the game as he was crucial in helping us dictate proceedings with his energy, tenacity and mobility, and on top of that he showed great quality to break forward and grab himself a goal too.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 7 – An important display as he also scored his first goal for the Rossoneri to break the deadlock. As always, his energy and work-rate was crucial in helping us put pressure on Bologna and force them into errors when trying to play their way out from the back.
Hakan Calhanoglu, 7.5 – A lot of our positive play passed through him as while he should have scored earlier with a great chance, he didn’t make the same mistake when handed a big opportunity shortly after. Also provided the pass to set Bennacer free for his goal, and so the Turkish playmaker continues to have a big influence since the restart.
Ante Rebic, 7.5 – Played an important role in the build-up to our first goal to set the tone for the rest of the game and produced a thumping finish to register his 11th Serie A goal of the season. Showed his threat in various positions whether it was out on the left, through the middle or up top as he proved to be decisive again.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 7 – Heavily involved in two of our five goals, with his presence up top not only bringing others into play but also creating spaces for others to profit in and make an impact. Still a little sloppy with his distribution and played at a walking pace at times, but another important contribution.
Substitutes
Giacomo Bonaventura, 6 – A decent impact off the bench as he kept our play ticking and looked like a creative threat getting in between the lines.
Rafael Leao, 6 – Got the assist for Calabria’s goal in a positive effort as a substitute again as he was lively in looking for a goal of his own.
Rade Krunic, 6 – Aside from threatening to score, he offered a fresh pair of legs in midfield and did his role well in helping us maintain control over the game to see out the victory.
Lucas Biglia, N/A
Lorenzo Colombo, N/A