Player Ratings: Real Madrid 1-3 AC Milan – Leao responds in style: Reijnders sublime | OneFootball

AC Milan claimed three very impressive points at Santiago Bernabeu, even if Real Madrid were not at their best, and several players showed their top qualities. Below are the player ratings for the Rossoneri.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.

Starting XI

Maignan (7): He made two very good saves on Mbappe in the first half and then denied Diaz with a reflex save in the second, even if it was pretty much at it. In addition to this, he had great distribution (for the most part anyway), though one can perhaps ask questions about the clearance before Real’s disallowed goal. Nevertheless, a strong display.

Emerson Royal (5.5): He will be the only player without a pass tonight, i.e. a 6, and that is because the foul on Vinicius was so clumsy. A stonewall penalty, without a doubt, and one can understand why Fonseca doubled up with Musah. He did have one good cross for Leao later on, but the mistake was just so poor.

Thiaw (7): The German responded to his recent struggles in style with a fantastic header to open the scoring. He almost scored an identical one shortly after, clearly making the most of his size. Defensively, he was astute and made life very difficult for Real in the aerial duels.

Photo by AC Milan

Tomori (6.5): He struggled a bit to keep up with Mbappe, as you would expect, but aside from that he actually did well and kept the home side at bay for the most part. One heading clearance comes to mind, which set Leao up for a counter.

Hernandez (7): Wearing the captain’s armband, he worked tirelessly on the left flank and it was a perfect game for him, as he was constantly allowed space. He had several great runs forward, including a fantastic cross RLC should have converted, but the missed opportunity from Reijnders’ pass lowers the rating slightly. Still, very good.

Fofana (7.5): The Frenchman was very calm in possession and this was absolutely crucial for Milan, as he often – or rather almost always – offered a way out. The passing was also very good and he made sure to find Leao out wide, and the same with Pulisic. Defensively, his importance cannot be overstated.

Reijnders (8): He could easily have been given the MOTM here, not just because of the wonderful goal, but his constant runs up and down the pitch. It’s one thing to do this for 45 minutes, perhaps 60, but he did it throughout the game and that’s also why he got the goal in the 73rd. The passing was very good too, and he found the right areas to work in to open space for his teammates. The goal was sublime, no words to fully describe it.

Musah (6.5): Fonseca gave him a clear task and all things considered, the American handled his duties well and even showcased some good skill in possession. It was pretty standard overall but given the opposition, he deserves praise, and just missed out on a 7 here.

Pulisic (7): Captain American assisted the first goal with (another) great corner and was involved in the second as well. In the second half, he continued to pick up the ball in good areas and had a 2v1 with Leao as a result, but both could have done more on that occasion. Still, goal involvements as always for him, though a couple of poor giveaways in defence that could have been costly.

Leao (8 – MOTM): He gets the MOTM here for one very simple reason: everything revolved around him. We all yearned for the X-Factor tonight and he certainly brought it, winning the corner for the first goal, forcing the goalkeeper to let out a rebound on the second, and then on the third it was wonderful combination with Reijnders. He also came very close to scoring himself with a lovely header. Sure, there were times he could do better, but his importance was evident tonight.

Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images

Morata (7): He continued on the Monza path, that is dropping down and adding value for the team in the build-up, but he also managed to find the back of the net. This is all we asked from him after the weekend’s game and it was indeed great awareness to convert the rebound. But then again, his combination play is really good.

Substitutes

Loftus-Cheek (6): Just about gets a pass here as he did okay overall, but the missed chance really could have made it a 5.5. On the other hand, he did well to even get there and the goalkeeper made a fine save too.

Abraham (6): The striker was definitely heading for a 5.5, having been sloppy in possession, but then he had a few defensive interventions in the end (including blocking an Mbappe effort with his head).

Okafor (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.

Calabria (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.

Pavlovic (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.