Player Ratings: Lazio 0-1 AC Milan – Okafor to the rescue; midfield struggles

Bennacer (5): The Algerian needs more time to regain match fitness but above all confidence. He’s severely lacking the latter, with many easy mistakes and a lack of awareness. This is something that used to be his strength, so it is a bit worrying.

Adli (5): Nonchalant in the build-up phase, always wanting to dribble, and it could have cost Milan dearly tonight. He was slightly better in the attacking phase, with a few good vertical passes, but this was by no means a good performance.

Pulisic (6): If it hadn’t been for his smartness, or perhaps shithousery is the proper word here, Milan probably wouldn’t have won tonight. Other than the steal from Pellegrini, though, the American struggled to impose himself so nothing more than a pass here.

Loftus-Cheek (5): Another very anonymous performance from the Englishman. He deserved a little credit for at least showing himself between the lines, but he didn’t do anything good with the ball.

Leao (5.5): He can do much more and he knows it. He was involved in the goal, with a decent cut-back cross, but he really struggled to be incisive tonight apart from that.

Giroud (5.5): The Frenchman was way too slow tonight, often in the wrong position as well, and he just didn’t seem in tune with his teammates. Fair play for getting on the rebound that eventually led to the goal (so it was important), but it was not good enough from him.

Substitutes 

Calabria (5.5): He came on due to Florenzi’s yellow card and that sub was more or less a zero-sum game. Only slightly better, with a lack of impact.

Reijnders (6): The midfielder played a lovely through-ball for Leao’s goal that was disallowed for a very narrow offside. Given how the others performed, he probably should have started.

Okafor (7 – MOTM): He entered the pitch with the right energy and got his reward, doing well to find space in the box and eventually finding the back of the net as well.

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

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

The manager 

Pioli (5): Even with one man up, Milan struggled to create clear-cut chances and several times this game, the shape was extremely strange. And when the Rossoneri did have a ‘normal’ shape, closer to their actual formation, they played through Lazio quite easily. Obvious subs too, so not much credit can be given there.