English giant Liverpool toppled AC Milan 3-1 in Champions League action at the San Siro despite Christian Pulisic firing the hosts in front in the third minute.
Milan boss Paulo Fonseca made a few changes to his team that toppled Venezia 4–0 in Serie A action over the weekend. Álvaro Morata got the nod up front and center, David Calabria came in at right-back for Emerson Royal and Fikayo Tomori returned to the heart of defense.
Fonseca couldn't envision a better start for his side with USMNT star Pulisic opening the scoring in the third minute. Morata hit a perfect first-time pass into the American's path and Pulisic raced through the Liverpool half before firing a low-driven shot past Alisson into the far corner.
However, the visitors went on to dominate the rest of the second half. Arne Slot's team created the better chances as Mohamed Salah close to equalizing after turning Strahinja Pavlović inside out, but his effort smacked the crossbar.
A rash challenge from Davide Calabria saw him go into referee Espen Eskås's book via a yellow card. Not only was it a pointless challenge, but Calabria gave Liverpool a golden opportunity to send in a dangerous free kick. Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up and did just that with an inviting cross that Ibrahima Konaté headed home with ease.
The Rossoneri found themselves down 2–1 on the brink of halftime after conceding another goal from a set piece. Virgil van Dijk lost his marker in Tijjani Reijnders and rose highest above Pavlović and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to turn the match on its head.
TWO SET PIECES. TWO CENTER BACKS. TWO GOALS.
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 17, 2024
Liverpool's defenders making moves in the San Siro 🥶 pic.twitter.com/oaP7VOsAPB
Just as Milan tried to push further up the pitch in search of an equalizer, Liverpool broke on the counter to make it 3–1 with roughly 30 minutes remaining. Dominik Szoboszlai started the move off after playing Cody Gakpo through with a through ball down the left-hand side. Gakpo then returned the favor and sent in a curling cross to the six-yard box that Szoboszlai finished from close range.
Liverpool got back on track in Europe after a hiccup over the weekend against Nottingham Forest. On the other hand, the shouts for Fonseca to be axed as Milan boss will only grow louder after his side couldn't capitalize on an early lead at home in Europe.
AC Milan Player Ratings vs. Liverpool
Starters
GK: Mike Maignan - 5/10 - Good with the ball at his feet but could've done better on the two set piece goals – Konaté's goal he whiffed on an attempt to punch the ball out to safety.
RB: Davide Calabria - 5/10 - The right-back debate rolls on within the Milan fanbase. Fonseca gave Calabria the start in place of Emerson Royal, but his careless challenge in the first half got him booked and resulted in Konaté's equalizer.
CB: Fikayo Tomori - 6/10 - Tomori started off strong and was excellent in possession but he couldn't keep van Dijk from getting on the scoresheet.
CB: Strahinja Pavlović - 5/10 - Switched off too many times on defensive set pieces that ultimately cost his side.
LB: Theo Hernández - 6/10 - One of the most explosive full-backs in world soccer couldn't create much going forward. On the defensive end, he struggled to keep Salah at bay even though he didn't get on the scoresheet.
DM: Youssouf Fofana - 5/10 - Fofana struggled in the midfield alongside Reijnders. The two couldn't keep up with the intensity Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister brought to the match.
DM: Tijjani Reijnders - 6/10 - Led the Milan press in the early stages but switched off on the two goals conceded. It appeared that he was marking van Dijk but couldn't keep up with his Dutch national teammate, resulting in Liverpool taking the lead.
RW: Christian Pulisic - 7/10 - Pulisic continues to consistently deliver in big moments for Milan. His well-taken goal put Milan in front but his performance faded as the match wore on.
AM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 5/10 - A bystander in the final third. His touch let him down on a few occasions when he was driving forward.
LW: Rafael Leão - 6/10 - A quiet night from the Portuguese international. Leão had a few nice moments on the ball in the opening 20 minutes, but was nullified throughout the rest of the match.
ST: Álvaro Morata - 7/10 - Did well to create the opening goal with a clever pass to Pulisic. He had a limited impact for most of the match outside of that assist due to the lack of service.
Substitutes
GK: Lorenzo Torriani - 6/10 - Came on for the injured Maignan to make his Champions League debut.
RB: Emerson Royal - 6/10 - The former Tottenham Hotspur full-back got into some good positions down the right-hand side. Poor decision-making let him down.
ST: Tammy Abraham - 6/10 - Couldn't get into any kind of rhythm up front.
ST: Noah Okafor - 6/10
CB: Matteo Gabbia - 6/10
Manager
This article was originally published on www.si.com as AC Milan Player Ratings: Rossoneri Lose to Liverpool at San Siro Despite Fast Start.
