Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alexis Saelemaekers were the only positives as AC Milan were handed a 3-0 defeat by Lazio on Monday.
In a frantic start to the game, AC Milan came close to scoring inside the first minute before Lazio took the lead less than 90 seconds in, as Joaquin Correa scored from close range after being put through on goal by Ciro Immobile. Thereafter, the Rossoneri saw a lot of the ball without really threatening Pepe Reina in the Lazio goal.
At the stroke of half-time, Lazio thought they had doubled their advantage through Manuel Lazzari only to be pulled back for a marginal offside. However, the hosts did have their second goal minutes into the second half, with Correa doubling his and his side’s tally with a powerfully driven shot.
Once again, AC Milan looked to push forward to pull a goal back, but to no avail before Immobile put the game to bed late on with a powerful low shot to seal the 3-0 win. The result meant that AC Milan have gone from second to fifth, with their UEFA Champions League hopes dangling by a thread. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Stefano Pioli’s men.
Gianluigi Donnarumma: 6/10
There was very little that Donnarumma could have done about any of the three goals, although he could perhaps, have covered his near post better when Joaquin Correa made it 2-0. Did deny the Lazio striker with a brilliant fingertip stop but was then beaten by Ciro Immobile’s strike. Still, if not for the AC Milan skipper, they would have surely suffered a more damning defeat.
Davide Calabria: 5/10
Not quite bad defensively, Calabria kept a check on Senad Lulic pretty well for the most part and even won a couple of duels. Going forward, though, his end product was quite disappointing, as he completed just one cross while also losing possession 13 times. Badly miscued his effort later on in the game as well and needs to step up.
Simon Kjaer: 5/10
Kjaer is almost never unreliable at the heart of the AC Milan defence but on Monday, he had his fair share of nervy moments, not least when Correa scored the opener. While not as bad as Tomori, he could have done better to have kept the backline more organised before being taken off for Alessio Romagnoli.
Fikayo Tomori: 4/10
Tomori has looked wobbly for some time now and on Monday, the English international had a role to play in each of the three goals AC Milan let in. Caught out of position when Correa opened the scoring before a weak tackle allowed the Lazio striker to drift past him to make it 2-0. Then gave Immobile too much space to kill the game off. Might just lose his spot next up.
Theo Hernandez: 5/10
Back in the starting lineup after staving off an injury, Theo Hernandez typically posed a threat on the break and completed a couple of take-ons as well. However, on the defensive front, he was a mess at times, with Manuel Lazzari deriving a lot of joy up against him. Has to do better.
Ismael Bennacer: 4/10
Part of the starting lineup after recovering from a minor injury, Bennacer endured a game to forget as he failed to provide any sort of cover to the Milan backline. Did make 5 interceptions while also winning 6 duels. However, in the key moments, he was nowhere to be seen which ultimately meant that Lazio punished their visitors badly.
Franck Kessie: 5/10
The Player to Watch in our preview, the usually reliable Kessie was some way off his best. While he did make himself available during the offensive phases of the game and even came close to scoring, the Ivorian was not solid enough on the ball, which allowed the Lazio attack to put the AC Milan defence under severe pressure.
Alexis Saelemaekers: 6/10
The standout outfield player for AC Milan, Saelemaekers was a bundle of energy for the hour he spent on the pitch. In fact, it was quite surprising that Pioli chose to take him off first up as the Belgian winger seemed to carry the most threat for the Lazio defence. About time he got a longer run in games.
Hakan Calhanoglu: 5/10
Mandzukic should probably donate the April wages too and some of his teammates should follow his lead
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) April 26, 2021
Another game, another outing in which Calhanoglu tried hard to make things happen without really pulling off a lot of the moves for the most part. Did complete most of his passes and created a few chances, but his passes were not incisive enough for much of the game. Lost possession 24 (!) times to boot.
Ante Rebic: 5/10
Like many of AC Milan players, Rebic was sloppy on the ball, completing just 10 of the 19 passes he attempted while losing possession a staggering 17 times despite having just 33 touches on it. Did create a couple of half chances but could not get into scoring positions, something he is expected to do.
Mario Mandzukic: 4/10
Handed a rare start by Pioli, Mandzukic endured a difficult evening, as he was hardly in the game for the most part. Having said that, he did have one chance coming his way, which he failed to convert. Wasteful with the ball at his feet, the veteran Croatian striker completed just 5 of the 10 passes he attempted.
SUBSTITUTES
Rafael Leao: 4/10
On for the anonymous Mandzukic, Leao continued from where the veteran Croat left off, managing just 6 touches despite spending nearly half an hour on the pitch. The frustrations continue for the Portuguese forward.
Brahim Diaz: 5/10
Once again introduced in place of Saelemaekers, Diaz tried to make things happen, but very little came off, as AC Milan meandered along before being beaten handsomely.
Diogo Dalot: 5/10
On for Calabria, Dalot was extremely sloppy on the ball, completing just half of his attempted passes while losing possession 10 times. Faced some nervy moments without the ball as well.
Sandro Tonali: 5/10
On for Bennacer, Tonali struggled to make a difference in the final 20 minutes. While he completed most of his passes, they were not progressive enough to push Milan towards a positive result.
Alessio Romagnoli: N/A
On for Kjaer, Romagnoli was solid for the most part in the final 15 minute bar one or two nervy moments.
