AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi has praised Michael Essien for his performance against Sampdoria on Saturday.

The 31-year-old exhausted the full duration of the game as Milan threw away an early lead to end the match 2-2.

Despite the draw and Milan dropping on the standings, Inzaghi still singled out some of his best performing players for praise including Essien.

“Bonera was the best player on the pitch in my opinion. We will miss him a lot in the derby. He had a great match as did Michael Essien,” Inzaghi told Milan’s official website after the game.

This is the second time in the last few weeks that Essien has been extolled by his coach.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s 21-year-old midfielder, Alfred Duncan was also in action for Sampdoria after lasting 67 minutes on the pitch.