Player ratings: Milan 3-0 Verona – Pulisic and Nkunku get the job done

Milan have Christian Pulisic and Christopher Nkunku to thank for their 3-0 victory against Hellas Verona in San Siro on Sunday afternoon: A game which has temporarily sent the Rossoneri two points clear at the top of the Serie A table. Check out the player ratings below! 

The unmarked Pulisic popped up at the back post to prod Milan into the lead following a corner in first-half stoppage time. Nkunku won and converted a penalty to claim his first ever Serie A goal, and then doubled his tally from a rebound in the penalty area a few minutes later. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Milan: Maignan 6; Tomori 6 (Odogu n/a), De Winter 6, Pavlovic 6; Saelemaekers 6 (Athekame 6), Loftus-Cheek 6.5 (Fofana 6), Modric 6.5 (Jashari 6), Rabiot 7, Bartesaghi 6.5; Nkunku 7.5, Pulisic 7 (Ricci 6). 

Best Milan player: Nkunku 7.5 – It took him 12 appearances, but Nkunku is finally off the mark in Serie A for Milan. He did well to bait a penalty out of Nelsson at the start of the second half, stuck the spot-kick away with no issues and was the only player switched on in the area to pounce on the rebound that led to his second goal and Milan’s third of the game. 

Coach: Massimiliano Allegri 7 – As he had predicted, this wasn’t the most straight-forward of matches for Milan. The first 45 were gritty, and lacking in clear-cut opportunities for the Rossoneri, but they found their opening goal at a brilliant time just before the interval, and looked like a much improved side in the second half. They needed a statement victory after their Supercoppa Italiana disappointment: Three goals and a clean sheet ought to have done the trick. 

Verona: Montipo 6; Nunez 5, Nelsson 4, Bella-Kotchap 6; Oyegoke 6 (Serdar 6), Niasse 5, Al-Musrati 5 (Harroui n/a), Bernede 6, Bradaric 6 (Valentini 6); Giovane 5 (Orban 6), Mosquera 5 (Sarr 5.5).

Best Verona player: Orban 6 – Collectively, it was a strong and disciplined performance from Verona in the first half, but they still lacked a little something in front of goal. Orban did have the ball in the back of the net at one stage at the end of the second half, later ruled out due to a foul on Maignan, but the Nigerian looked like his side’s most likely method of scoring. 

Coach: Alberto Bertolini 6 – Standing in for the suspended Paolo Zanetti. Had it not been for Pulisic’s goal from a set-piece in first-half stoppage time, Verona would have been the happier of the two sides heading in for the break. An individual error from Nelsson to give away a penalty immediately after the restart did not help Verona’s chances. It felt like they had set up the right way and had done well until the 46th minute, but two lapses in concentration have turned out to be costly.