Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been named as the best player on the pitch for Inter Milan in a 5-1 derby win over AC Milan.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, awarded the Armenian a score of 8.5/10 in the player ratings for the match.
Prior to yesterday’s match, there were some grumblings over whether Mkhitaryan should have even started.
The 34-year-old had been in every one of Inter’s starting lineups so far this season.
But summer arrival Davide Frattesi had also seemingly staked his claim on a starting place. The 23-year-old scored a brace for Italy in a EURO 2024 qualifying win over Ukraine.
However, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi decided to go with consistency and continuity. He gave Mkhitaryan the nod in the derby.
And the coach’s decision paid off in a big way for him.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan MOTM For Inter Milan In Big Derby Win
The most obvious way in which Mkhitaryan repaid Inzaghi’s trust was with his two goals.
The former Roma and Arsenal man could have even had more, as he also had a good chance with a header from a Federico Dimarco cross during the first half of the match.
But the two goals that Mkhitaryan scored were more than enough.
The veteran midfielder showed a canny sense of when to arrive in the penalty area to get good chances to score. And once he got there, Mkhitaryan made no mistake with two composed, clinical finishes.
But even apart from the goals, it was another big match performance from Mkhitaryan.
Inzaghi trusts the Armenian to keep things ticking over in midfield. And that’s exactly what he did.
Mkhitaryan helped Inter makes sure that there was next to no space for Rossoneri midfielders like Tijani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to operate in.
For the Gazzetta, there was not a better player on the pitch in the derby yesterday.
