Tomori praised by AC Milan boss Pioli after baptism of fire against Inter

Fikayo Tomori impressed AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli in his debut for the Serie A giants, despite ending up on the losing side of a full-blooded derby clash with Inter.

Just four days after completing his move from Chelsea, Tomori was given a baptism of fire as he stepped into a Coppa Italia quarter-final which will live long in the memory at San Siro.

After coming off the bench for the injured Simon Kjaer, Tomori saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic open the scoring before clashing with Romelu Lukaku and being sent off early in the second half.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku went head-to-head 😳 pic.twitter.com/8U7nMpH4kH

— Goal (@goal) January 26, 2021

Lukaku equalised from the spot and Inter laid siege to the AC Milan goal with the Rossoneri down to 10 men. Milan held off their city rivals until the seventh minute of stoppage time, when forgotten man Christian Eriksen won the match with a superb free-kick.

Tomori could hardly have wished for a more eventful introduction to life in Italy but Pioli was pleased with how the 23-year-old rose to the occasion.

“He did well,” Pioli told reporters. “He came in during a difficult match, and he had arrived only a few days before and trained with us only twice.

“I think he showed good things. He can defend very well and he is a smart lad, very focused and eager to learn.

“He arrived in great shape, mentally, physically and technically, and he wants to learn our football as soon as possible.”

The fallout from the derby match is still ongoing. Ibrahimovic and Lukaku had looked to have avoided any additional punishment for their on-pitch fracas, though both received suspensions as a result of cards picked up during the game. However, the Italian FA has now called for a further investigation into the incident.

In the meantime, Tomori will be hoping to make his Serie A debut as Milan look to hold on to top spot with an away fixture at Bologna on Saturday.

Despite their exit from the cup, Milan are two points clear of Inter in second at the halfway stage of the season.

They have been boosted by the return of midfield lynchpin Ismael Bennacer to their matchday squad, with the Algerian international having been out since mid-December with a muscle injury. Hakan Calhanoglu has recovered from coronavirus but won’t return for Saturday’s game.