Derby Drama: Maignan Shuts the Door as Pulisic Delivers Milan Victory

Match Recap

Christian Pulisic, Milan's star, insisted that his French teammate Mike Maignan, the Rossoneri's goalkeeper, deserved the man of the match award in the derby against Inter, after his superb display.

Milan secured an important win over their hosts Inter, 1-0, at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium on Sunday night, in round 12 of Serie A.

Christian Pulisic scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute.

With this win, Milan moved to 25 points, jumped to second place, two points behind leaders Roma, while Inter's tally stayed at 24 and dropped to fourth.

Milan felt heavy pressure for long stretches, but credit goes to Maignan and the defense, who denied Francesco Acerbi and Lautaro Martinez from scoring in the first half.

Turkish forward Hakan Calhanoglu missed a penalty in the 74th minute, brilliantly saved by Maignan.

That was Maignan's second penalty save of the season, after also stopping Paulo Dybala from another Italian league encounter with Roma.

"All of my saves are favorites because they were all important to keep a clean sheet," Maignan told DAZN Italy.

"We all worked together under pressure, and when we do, we can achieve great results. As I always say, we must stay on this path and keep working."

During the French keeper's interview, he was told that the last time Milan's keeper saved a penalty in a derby, with Tatarusanu in goal, they won the league.

"We should not make these comparisons. It's positive we won, but the road is long, and we must capitalize on these victories to keep pressing."

That means Milan have not lost in their last six derby matches across all competitions, with four wins and two draws in Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the Super Cup.

The man of the match duel pitted Maignan against Christian Pulisic, the sole goalscorer, but Maignan earned the award from the Italian league, which his teammate fully agreed with.

Pulisic said, "Maignan deserved the award 100%, I scored an easy goal, while he faced around 10 powerful shots."

That was the American's third derby goal this season, in addition to his seventh across Serie A and Coppa Italia.

"That's my job, to score. I was in the right place at the right time, so I did."

Milan have delivered strong performances against big clubs this season, unlike some matches against smaller sides: beating Bologna, Napoli, Roma, and Inter, drawing with Juventus, but dropping points to Cremonese, Parma, and Pisa.

Christian said, "It's good to be strong against the top clubs; we just need to keep this level of intensity in other matches as well."

Results this season underline Milan's improved form and consistency against rivals, even as they navigate a schedule with a mix of tough and winnable ties.

Due to Milan's failure to secure a European spot last season and exit from the top four, the team is not competing in any continental competition this season.

Under coach Allegri, the side focused on the domestic league and Coppa Italia; from a positive view, it was important for the team to breathe easy and rebuild away from pressure.

Milan started the season by beating Bari 2-0 in the Coppa Italia preliminaries; in Serie A, they opened with a surprising 1-2 home loss to Cremonese.

Then wins came in four straight: Lecce 2-0, Bologna 1-0, Udinese 3-0, Napoli 2-1; then a goalless draw with Juventus in the sixth, and a tough win over Fiorentina 2-1.

Surprisingly again, Milan drew with Pisa in Round 8, losing two crucial points in the title race, nearly widening the gap to Inter, Napoli and Roma.

That included a 3-0 win over Lecce again in Coppa Italia Round of 32, sending them to the round of 16, set to meet Lazio in early December, with the winner facing Parma or Bologna.

The side's form dipped in the last three games, drawing with Atalanta and Parma, and scraping a win over Roma.

The Rossoneri returned to deliver a dramatic 1-0 win over their rival Inter, taking the three points despite Inter’s dominance, raising Milan to 25 points and leaping to second, two behind leaders Roma.