Milan

3.15

• 
  13

  3

  3.50

  Christian Abbiati

  A decent save to turn Morganella's first-half effort round the post was the only time he was forced to make a strenuous save before the break. He produced a great stop to keep Dybala out as Palermo looked to find a way back into the game.

• 
  17

  2

  3.50

  Mattia De Sciglio

  Motored up and down the left all afternoon in a tireless display. He did not provide as many crosses as he usually does but he used his pace to good effect when running back and covering the centre-backs.

• 
  9

  4

  3.00

  Cristian Zapata

  Was perhaps lucky to stay on the field after the half-hour mark as a deliberate handball was only punished with a yellow card. He was never really tested by Ilicic or Dybala thereafter in a comfortable afternoon.

• 
  14

  3

  3.50

  Ignazio Abate

  Added some much-needed width on the right as he raced forward and limited the effectiveness of Garcia down the left. He also stayed solid defensively and did not let much get past him.

• 
  8

  8

  3.00

  Daniele Bonera

  It was a comfortable afternoon for the centre-back as the Palermo forwards never really gave him much to do. He was cool in possession and did not put a foot wrong throughout the game.

• 
  5

  6

  2.50

  Sulley Ali Muntari

  The Ghanaian found it difficult to get involved in the match and spent much of the time aimlessly running about the pitch. He was sloppy in possession and struggled to deal with Palermo's pressing.

• 
  8

  5

  2.50

  Kevin-Prince Boateng

  Had a relatively quiet game as he lacked the ability to put the Palermo defence to the sword. He did not look entirely comfortable out wide and sent his best chance of the game flying over the bar in the first half.

• 
  10

  5

  3.00

  Mathieu Flamini

  The Frenchman did nothing wrong, but equally he did not particularly stand out. He screened the defence well and got back to help out his team-mates but was largely uninspiring.

• 
  13

  2

  3.00

  Riccardo Montolivo

  Could not quite find his range of passing to unlock a rather resilient Palermo defence at times. Found himself outnumbered when in possession frequently but did all the simple stuff well.

• 
  30

  1

  4.50

  Mario Balotelli Top of the Match

  The striker tormented the Palermo defence all afternoon with his power and trickery. Won a penalty and then dispatched it himself after just eight minutes to put his side on their way to victory. He grabbed an opportunistic second to halt a potential Palermo comeback after the break.

• 
  14

  5

  2.50

  Stephan El Shaarawy

  A rather disappointing afternoon for the youngster as he failed to get at Palermo when drifting in from the left. His touch seemed off and he did not really link with Balotelli in the middle.

Substitutions

• 
  4

  4

  3.00

  Bakaye Traoré

  Came on for Boateng in the 81st minute but could not impact upon the game.

• 
  17

  1

  3.50

  L. Niang

  Replaced El Shaarawy in the 58th minute and caused real problems with his pace and direct dribbling. A decent cross from the left was crucial to Balotelli's second goal.

Palermo

2.38

• 
  3

  0

  3.50

  Stefano Sorrentino

  The keeper was very comfortable when coming to claim the ball and was always in control inside his area. Could do little to stop Balotelli's penalty or his second as Aronica's touch left him in doubt as to whether he could pick it up.

• 
  0

  7

  1.50

  Salvatore Aronica Flop of the Match

  Gave away a penalty with some clumsy defending as he dragged Balotelli to the ground inside his own penalty area. He could not cope with the powerful forward at all and was embarrassed by him at times.

• 
  2

  1

  2.50

  Ezequiel Muñoz

  Could not keep Balotelli shackled as his two goals proved to be decisive. He was frequently overpowered by the forwards but was the best of a bad bunch for Palermo at the back.

• 
  2

  1

  2.00

  Steve von Bergen

  The Swiss defender was impressive in the air but lost out on almost all the physical battles. He was committed to the tackle but he rarely timed them right and was rather laboured at the back.

• 
  1

  2

  2.00

  Santiago García

  Failed to offer his side much of an attacking outlet from the wing back position. He also struggled to keep tabs on Abate's forays forward and was withdrawn at half-time after a disappointing 45 minutes.

• 
  2

  1

  3.00

  Michel Morganella

  A decent performance from the wing back as he regularly got himself on the ball and was keen to push forward. He pulled out a good save from Abbiati in the first half and was a thorn in Milan's side all afternoon.

• 
  1

  1

  3.00

  Egidio Arevalo Rios

  Did plenty of running in the middle of the park as he tried to break apart the play for the visitors. His incessant pressing helped Palermo play a much greater role in the game in the second half.

• 
  1

  1

  2.50

  Massimo Donati

  Was never too far from the ball as he looked to try and orchestrate things for his team. He moved the ball around capably in midfield but did not drive the side forward to grab an equaliser.

• 
  3

  0

  3.50

  Josip Iličič

  The forward had very little service throughout but forged opportunities of his own accord. One deflected shot that almost caught Abbiati out was his only real effort on goal but he looked very dangerous when dropping just off Dybala.

• 
  0

  1

  2.00

  Jasmin Kurtić

  His distribution was not always the best and he struggled to find his place in the game. He was frequently bypassed in midfield and was withdrawn in the 72nd minute.

• 
  0

  1

  1.50

  Paulo Dybala

  The Argentine did not get much service in the first half so could offer very little to his team-mates. He had a great chance to equalise early in the second but could not find the far corner.

Substitutions

• 
  0

  0

  2.00

  Nélson

  Replaced Garcia at half-time but was unable to provide any more positivity down the right as Morganella switched to the other flank.

• 
  0

  1

  Viola

  Brought on for Donati in the 82nd minute but did not influence the game.

• 
  0

  1

  2.00

  Diego Fabbrini

  Came on for Kurtic in the 72nd minute but could not make Palermo any more competitive in midfield.