‘Miserable Evening’: Rafael Leao And Christopher Nkunku Slated In AC Milan Draw With Roma

AC Milan duo Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku were criticised for their respective displays in Sunday’s draw with Roma.

The Rossoneri played out a 1-1 stalemate at the Stadio Olimpico, their front line failing to make a significant impact.

Koni De Winter opened the scoring for Milan, but Lorenzo Pellegrini’s penalty meant a share of the spoils in Rome.

And while goalkeeper Mike Maignan impressed for the Rossoneri, their attackers did not cover themselves in glory.

Roma 1-1 AC Milan: 5/10s all round for Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku

All in all, Milan’s draw against Roma was not a bad result by any means.

However, there is a sense of missed opportunity as Massimiliano Allegri failed to make the right choices up front.

Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku did not work well together up front against a well-drilled team like Roma.

Calciomercato described Allegri’s choice to start Leao and Nkunku as a ‘mistake’ from a tactical and philosophical perspective.

They struggled to keep the ball against the ‘grumpy and physical’ Roma back line, suggesting that players with a greater ability to ‘get their hands dirty’ were needed.

Nkunku didn’t do well at all today, I barely see him touch the ball

— Maleek (@buhari_mali) January 25, 2026

Niclas Fullkrug would have been a better shout to start, for instance. CM said he could have brought the team up the pitch and allowed them to breathe more.

Eurosport gave Leao a 5 out of 10 as they said it was a ‘miserable’ or ‘ghost’ evening for the Portuguese.

‘Isolated up front, he can’t find any openings in the first half, and is under-served. A bit better in the second half, but still lacking in impact.’

Likewise, Nkunku got a 5 out of 10 for his efforts on the night.

‘Preferred to Pulisic,’ they noted. ‘He fails to make an impact. Ndicka beats him twice in the run-up. Harmless and defused.’

Sky Sport Italia also gave both players a 5 out of 10 rating.

Rafael Leao’s fitness struggles

Admittedly, Christopher Nkunku has turned a corner at Milan. He is making much more of an impact that he did in the first half of the season.

There will be the occasional poor displays, though in this case it was more a case of Massimiliano Allegri not starting the right players for the job at hand.

Meanwhile, Rafael Leao is a top player, but he has been suffering from fitness issues for a while now.

Leao’s persistent groin problem has led to Milan’s medical staff having to manage his training regime and game time.

With that in mind, starting Leao and giving him 69 minutes on the pitch may have not been a good idea.

Calciomercato notes: ‘If Leao continues to have problems, let him make a healthy contribution to his recovery from a physical standpoint once and for all.’