Inter 2-1 AC Milan: Player ratings as Nerrazzuri advance to Coppa Italia semi-finals

Inter got the better of city rivals Milan on Tuesday night, advancing to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia with a late victory, where they await either Atalanta or Lazio.

Despite a strong opening spell from Milan, it was the Nerrazzuri who dominated possession in the first half and looked most likely to score first. Quick buildup play and getting the ball to wide areas with Ivan Perisic causing problems, but it was never enough to find a way past a resolute Milan defence.

And for all their possession, Inter conceded first. A quick counter against the run of play allowed Zlatan Ibrahimovic the time to fire home from just inside the box after 31 minutes. Tensions boiled over between himself and Romelu Lukaku at the end of the half, as Inter went in 1-0 down.

Inter dominated proceedings once again after the break. However, possession seemed lost on them again until Ibrahimovic was sent off after an hour, making things much more difficult for his side. Milan caved and a penalty scored by Lukaku levelled things up after 70 minutes.

With the game poised for an intriguing final 20 minutes, all energy was sapped as referee Paolo Valeri pulled up injured and had to be replaced by the fourth official, resulting in ten minutes of injury time. The game looked destined for extra time, until Christian Eriksen's sublime free kick stole the win for a dominant Inter.

In a Milan derby that quite literally a bit of everything, here are your player ratings from the San Siro.

Inter

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Samir Handanovic (GK) - 5/10 - Could do nothing to stop Ibrahimovic's strike and barely saw the ball otherwise.

Milan Skriniar (CB) - 5/10 - Skriniar wasn't at his best when Milan ventured forward throughout the first half and didn't quite bring enough to contribute going forward.

Stefan de Vrij (CB) - 6/10 - De Vrij was Inter's best defender and most composed presence. Comfortable in possession and clean with tackles.

Aleksandar Kolarov (CB) - 5/10 - Little to do throughout the first half, but switched off when called upon which allowed Ibrahimovic to score against the run of play. Picked it up a tad in the second and came close with a free kick after 49 minutes.

2. Midfielders & wing-backs

Matteo Darmian (RWB) - 4/10 - Darmian was fine defensively, but as usual, struggled to keep up in attack and slowed Inter down massively. Hooked at half-time as a result.

Nicolo Barella (CM) - 6/10 - Picked up good positions between the lines and made some nice passes over a wide range throughout the first half. Barella was also frequently fouled, which stopped him from having the impact he could've had.

Marcelo Brozovic (CM) - 7/10 - Ran the show in midfield in the first half and came mightily close with a well hit half-volley on the stroke of half-time.

Arturo Vidal (CM) - 5/10 - Vidal was the weak link in midfield. Aggression and nothing more, Inter could've perhaps benefitted from a more creative presence.

Ivan Perisic (LWB) - 6/10 - Perisic regularly got the better of Diogo Dalot in wide areas and put in some dangerous crosses, but to no avail. Could and perhaps should have scored with a header that went just over the bar before being substituted. Frustrating evening.

3. Forwards

Romelu Lukaku (ST) - 6/10 - Unfortunate not to score with a strong, swivelled effort in the first half but was also fortunate to stay on the pitch after his scuffle with Ibrahimovic. The experienced Swede won the mental battle; he must be careful.

Alexis Sanchez (ST) - 6/10 - Grew into the game and used his body well to pull defenders out of position and draw a handful of fouls. Didn't do enough running towards goal, however.

4. Substitutes

Achraf Hakimi - 7/10 - Provided infinitely more attacking sting than Darmian following his introduction and gave Inter more quality from the right wing.

Lautaro Martinez - 6/10 - Had a solid chance in the 88th minute but couldn't evade Romagnoli to get one-on-one with the keeper.

Christian Eriksen - 8/10 - The unlikeliest of heroes, Eriksen bagged an inch-perfect free kick in injury time to make good on the extra man and send his side through to the semi-finals.

Ashley Young - N/A

Milan

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Ciprian Tatarusanu (GK) - 7/10 - Experienced display from the 34-year-old who kept his side in the tie with a catalogue of smart and vitally important saves and never once switched off. Had no chance of stopping Lukaku's equaliser, or Eriksen's free kick.

Diogo Dalot (RB) - 5/10 - Struggled up against Ivan Perisic, but wasn't helped by Alexis Saelemaekers failing to get back in when out of possession.

Simon Kjaer (CB) - 4/10 - Kjaer committed a rash challenge on Alexis Sanchez after 16 minutes and was booked as a result, but also injured himself in the process and had to be replaced.

Alessio Romagnoli (CB) - 7/10 - Authoritative and concentrated performance from Romagnoli who had to be at his best to ease the nerves of Tomori who was thrown in the deep end.

Theo Hernandez (LB) - 5/10 - Not his usual progressive self with the ball down the flank, but held his own defensively.

6. Midfielders

Soualiho Meite (DM) - 4/10 - Meite was caught positionally several times as Inter repeatedly piled on the pressure. He's still young, though, and clearly adapting to the step up in levels following a move from Torino, but he has plenty to learn.

Franck Kessie (DM) - 6/10 - The Ivorian continued his stellar season thus far with tireless recoveries and intelligent hold-up play. Meite can learn a lot from simply playing alongside Kessie.

Alexis Saelemaekers (RM) - 4/10 - Saelemaekers went missing with Milan sitting back and absorbing pressure and did little to get involved. Didn't alleviate the pressure on Dalot and wasn't involved in his side's best attacks.

Brahim Diaz (AM) - 6/10 - Diaz looked threatening in glimpses, but couldn't quite enjoy a free game to use possession and was sacrificed for Ante Rebic following Ibrahimovic's red card.

Rafael Leao (LM) - 5/10 - Impressive performance from Leao in possession; caused a problem with every touch of the ball going forward, but a lazy and unnecessary challenge inside his box resulted in a stonewall Inter penalty. Naïve.

7. Forward

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (ST) - 4/10 - Ibrahimovic put in a textbook Ibrahimovic performance. Scored a fine opener for his side against the run of play, picked up a booking for a tussle with Romelu Lukaku, and was sent off after an hour for a rather needless second yellow card offence. Lost his side the game.

8. Substitutes

Fikayo Tomori - 7/10 - Thrown in at the deep end as an early sub for his Rossoneri debut, but played like a veteran. Tomori read the game supremely well and made some fine, clean tackles inside his box. A seriously impressive debut.

Ante Rebic - 5/10 - Rebic chased the game from the minute he was introduced and didn't get a chance to cause Inter a problem at the back.

Rade Krunic - N/A

Samuel Castillejo - N/A