Captain America delivers again: Christian Pulisic shows why he may be Serie A’s best with clutch game-winner as AC Milan beat Inter Milan

FC Internazionale v AC Milan - Serie A

Inter Milan and AC Milan went blow for blow in a tightly contested Derby della Madonnina until U.S. international Christian Pulisic produced the decisive moment in the 55th minute, sealing a 1-0 win for the Rossoneri. The American reacted quickest to a rebound from Alexis Saelemaekers’ blocked shot, smashing home from close range before Mike Maignan preserved the points with a late penalty save.

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What happened

This was a crucial victory for Milan, who climbed to second and sit just two points behind Roma in the Serie A table.

From the opening whistle, the derby unfolded as a cagey, high-intensity affair between two bitter rivals. Inter began on the front foot, dominating possession 58 to 42 percent and outshooting Milan 10-4. Despite both sides sharing the San Siro, it was the “home” Nerazzurri who carried the early initiative. Yet their finishing repeatedly let them down, with Lautaro Martínez rattling the post midway through the first half on their best chance.

Milan, meanwhile, stayed compact and leaned heavily on Mike Maignan to handle danger. The French goalkeeper’s steady presence kept Milan level - and his distribution sparked the sequence that broke the match open. Alexis Saelemaekers burst down the right and fired at Yann Sommer, whose save spilled directly into the path of Christian Pulisic. The American reacted first and buried the rebound to give Milan a 1-0 lead.

Inter pushed for an equalizer and will regret failing to convert their clearest opportunity minutes later. Strahinja Pavlović brought down Marcus Thuram in the box, handing Inter a penalty. But Hakan Çalhanoğlu telegraphed his effort, and Maignan produced a confident stop in the 71st minute to preserve the lead. Pulisic exited in the 78th minute, and Milan saw out the final stretch to secure a massive result for Max Allegri’s side.

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The MVP

The spoils need to be shared here between Christian Pulisic and Mike Maignan, who were both equally important to the one-goal win. In a match that offered Milan very few chances, it was the American who maximized his sole chance to deliver the winner, but it was ultimately Maignan who kept Inter at bay with six saves. 

Outside of the goal, Pulisic was threatening the entire match with two out of four successful dribbles and three passes into the final third. 

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The big loser

Hakan Calhanoglu largely had an effective match, delivering scoring chances and remaining tidy with his passes, but his penalty miss was back-breaking for Inter, who essentially saw a lifeline go begging. This is a painful defeat for Inter, who haven't beaten their crosstown rivals in six tries and have also lost to other Serie A contenders this season. The side now falls to fourth place. 

Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐