AC Milan v Newcastle player ratings: Tomori 8, Giroud 5; Pope 8, Trippier 8

Magpies hold firm to take memorable point on return to Champions League after 20 years

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  Mike Maignan 6/10

  AC Milan ratings: A virtual bystander until he had to go off injured on 78 minutes. Getty

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  Davide Calabria 5/10

  Roasted by Gordon a couple of times early on. Booked on 40 minutes and then replaced at half-time. AP

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  Malick Thiaw 6/10

  Solid display from the highly-rated German international centre-back. Getty

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  Fikayo Tomori 8/10

  Really convincing performance from the England centre-half. Defended calmly and effectively and distributed well from the back. PA

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  Theo Hernandez 7/10

  Caught the eye with his dynamic runs from left-back, carrying the ball 30-40 yards at a time down the flank or through the midfield. Getty

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  Rade Krunic 7/10

  Strong display deep in the Milan midfield. Took the ball from his defenders and started attacks passing through the lines. Delivered some dangerous set-pieces. Getty

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  Tommaso Pobega 6/10

  Workhorse in the Milan midfield. Had a shot cleared off the line in the first half. Getty

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  Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7/10

  Out of possession did a good job of disrupting Newcastle's key midfielder Bruno Guimares. With the ball surged forward at every opportunity. Picked up a muscle injury in the second half. Getty

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  Rafael Leao 7/10

  Veered from the sublime to the ridiculous. A constant threat with his pace and trickery but made a real mess of one first-half chance with a comical miskicked back-heel having done all the hard work with a jinking run. GettyShow less

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  Olivier Giroud 5/10

  Missed the best chance of the first half as he failed to convert a near-post cross. Otherwise fairly anonymous. EPA

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  Samuel Chukwueze 6/10

  Promising first half from the former Villarreal man, who showed glimpses of his pace and skill. Faded after the break and was replaced by Pulisic after an hour. Getty

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  Alessandro Florenzi 7/10

  AC Milan subs. Florenzi (Calabria, 45'): Added some attacking thrust down the right-hand side after the break.

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  Christian Pulisic 6/10

  Pulisic (Chukwueze, 61'): Ran into a committed Newcastle defensive display late in the piece. Getty

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  Tijjani Reijnders 7/10

  Reijnders (Pobega, 61'): Highly-rated Dutch international showed plenty of attacking intent and some flashes of quality.

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  Champions League - Group F - AC Milan v Newcastle United

  Soccer Football - Champions League - Group F - AC Milan v Newcastle United - San Siro, Milan, Italy - September 19, 2023 AC Milan's Yunus Musah in action with Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier REUTERS / Daniele MascoloShow less

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  Marco Sportiello 6/10

  Sportiello (Maignan, 80'): Good late save to deny Longstaff giving Newcastle an improbable victory. AP

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  Nick Pope 8/10

  Newcastle ratings: Made a string of saves throughout the match and was a solid and dependable presence when his side needed him. PA

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  Kieran Trippier 8/10

  Did his best to stem the flow of the lively Leao, played a couple of beautiful passes, one to release Longstaff leading to the midfielder's dive. Crucially nudged Leao off balance as he took on a headed chance. Inspired effort from the skipper. GettyShow less

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  Fabian Schar 7/10

  All at sea in the first half but defended stoutly down the stretch as Newcastle clung on for a point. Getty

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  Sven Botman 7/10

  Like his teammates, recovered from a torrid opening 45 to have a much-improved second half. Getty

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  Dan Burn 7/10

  Full of commitment, especially late in the game as the Magpies played out the 0-0 draw. Getty

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  Bruno Guimaraes 6/10

  Struggled to have his usual influence, although did have Loftus-Cheek breathing down his neck all night. AP

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  Sean Longstaff 7/10

  What Newcastle lacked in quality they made up for in workrate and that was typified by Longstaff who never stopped running. Forced a good save from the sub keeper in dying moments. PA

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  Sandro Tonali 6/10

  Like most of the Newcastle side he endured a difficult opening to the game. That said, he helped steady the ship after that and received a big hand from the Milan fans as he left the action on 70 minutes. GettyShow less

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  Jacob Murphy 7/10

  Preferred to Almiron and Barnes for his defensive workrate and put in a solid shift. Cleared one off the line in the first half. PA

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  Alexander Isak 6/10

  With Newcastle on the back foot for long periods it wasn't a night where the silky Sweden striker's attacking prowess shone through. Reuters

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  Anthony Gordon 6/10

  Lively start to the game as he continued his good early season form but influence faded and was replaced by Almiron on 63 minutes. Reuters

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  Miguel Almiron 6/10

  Newcastle subs. Almiron (Gordon 63'): Full of running as Newcastle held out for the draw. AP

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  Callum Wilson 6/10

  Wilson (Murphy 63'): Did his best to offer an outlet with Newcastle under pressure in the closing stages. PA

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  Elliot Anderson 6/10

  Anderson (Tonali 73'): Involved in some bright counter-attacking moments. Barnes (Isak, 90'): N/A.

Newcastle United marked their return to Champions League with a battling 0-0 draw with AC Milan at the an Siro.

A combination of good saves by goalkeeper Nick Pope and poor finishing by Milan saw the visitors pick up what could prove a vital point.

The hosts will certainly look back on the game with frustration as they did everything but score in a much-improved display from their humiliating 5-1 derby defeat to city rivals Inter at the weekend.

The Rossoneri had 25 attempts on goal to just six for Newcastle, who clung on at the end to the delight of their large travelling support. Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud were both guilty of missing clear opportunities, while the Magpies might even have nicked it at the death when Sean Longstaff went close.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was delighted with his side's character. He said: “The way we defended was commendable, blocked shots, the amount of times we threw ourselves in front of the ball. You cannot underestimate the power of that draw.

“You can’t underestimate the difficulties of coming here, the emotion of the game, new experiences, we had to take a lot on board today. We can improve but growth and improvement are always things we look to do. We can be very positive about our next game. It could be a vital point, who knows?"

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