Inter Milan 2-1 AC Milan: 5 hits and flops as Christian Eriksen's free-kick settles crazy derby

Inter Milan claim the spoils of a heated, 228th Milan derby
Inter Milan claim the spoils of a heated, 228th Milan derby

Inter Milan advanced to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia at the expense of city rivals AC Milan following a pulsating 2-1 win at the San Siro.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic had put the Rossoneri ahead with a goal in the first half, but following his sending off for two bookable offenses, the Nerrazurri got the edge.

Romelu Lukaku restored parity from the spot after Nicolo Barella was fouled inside the area by Rafael Leao. Substitute Christian Eriksen settled the contest with a sublime free-kick, eight minutes into stoppage time.

The match also witnessed former Manchester United teammates Lukaku and Ibrahimovic embroiled in heated exchanges.

Whereas the referee, in a rare sight, went off injured midway through the second half.

Here are the hit and flop performers from a riveting Derby della Madonnina encounter:

Hit: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)

Another big game, another big goal, from the big man himself - Ibrahimovic stepped up once again and scored for the 10th time against Inter Milan in his career.

Receiving a delicious cross from Soualiho Meite, the Swede took a few touches to set himself up and blazed a cross-body shot into bottom corner for his 14th strike of the season.

That's an impressive number for a 39-year-old as Ibrahimovic continues to defy Father Time with his blistering scoring exploits.

He obviously marred the game by pelting choicest of insults at Lukaku and then getting sent off. But actually, the contact for that foul was minimal, and it was rather harsh from the referee.

Flop: Paolo Valeri (Referee)

Talking of the referee, well, he had an absolute stinker. Hence we make the odd choice of picking him here instead of a player.

Firstly, going back to that Ibrahimovic incident. The referee got a clear view of it and decided to send him off, despite the contact being minimal.

Secondly, the penalty was controversial as Leao's challenge on Barella was soft, even though the midfielder went down convincingly enough.

These two decisions eventually proved decisive as Inter made the most of it. But they'll be discussed even long after the full-time whistle.

Valeri didn't have the best night in terms of officiating, but worse was yet to come - he limped off the field after an apparent injury in the 75th minute and was replaced by a fourth official!

Quite extra-ordinary scenes.

Hit: Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)

Another stunning performance from Barella
Another stunning performance from Barella

If you needed any more proof of Barella's qualities, then he served them up in abundance tonight with a stellar performance.

Operating from a more advanced role, he was the key to linking up play in attacking areas, whilst also carrying the ball forward himself a few times.

His speed and technical skills were no match for Milan's defense, who were left in the knots every time they tried to take them on.

Whenever the Nerazzurri weren't in possession, Barella showed great commitment in trying to win back the ball and even succeeded on a few occasions.

The 23-year old's performances this season have alerted various top shouts of Europe. After tonight's heroics, burnished his credentials as one of the world's best box-to-box midfielders.

Flop: Soualiho Meite (AC Milan)

Meite declined dramatically after his assist for Ibrahimovic
Meite declined dramatically after his assist for Ibrahimovic

A surprise starter tonight, Meite also made a surprise (or fortuitous?) assist for Ibrahimovic, but that was just about it for him.

The 26-year-old midfielder, signed on loan from Torino just two weeks ago, looked unsettled for most of the match as he struggled to keep up with Inter's pacy forwards.

Meite also gave the ball away several times, rather cheaply, and very nearly gifted the Nerazzurri a goal too.

However, the Frenchman's worst slice of action came towards the end when he conceded a free-kick in a dangerous position, which Eriksen duly converted from.

A night to forget.

Hit: Ciprian Tatarusanu (AC Milan)

A memorable derby debut for the veteran goalkeeper!
A memorable derby debut for the veteran goalkeeper!

If there was one player who didn't deserve to be on the losing end of the match tonight, it's Tatarusanu. He pulled off a multitude of saves to keep Milan alive in the contest.

The Romanian custodian wasn't tested enough by the Nerazzurri during the first half but was called into action several times after the break, and he came up trumps.

Tatarusanu was nigh unbeatable from open play, palming and punching shots clear, whilst also making himself big to deal with aerial threats.

He made an admirable seven saves in total, with the one to deny Lautaro Martinez from a one-on-one situation particularly standing out.

In the end, the former Fiorentina shotstopper was beaten twice - both from dead-ball situations. But overall, it was an excellent performance from him.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava