AC Milan 3-1 Inter: Moreira inspires commanding fourth straight derby win
AC Milan recorded a huge win in the derby against Inter, scoring three times in the first half to secure a 3-1 win.
It did not take long for Milan to go in front, with Christian Pulisic heading in a cross from Diego Moreira. Then, just a few minutes later, Adrien Rabiot was on hand to fire in a corner first time and make it a two-goal lead.
Alessandro Bastoni scored from a corner to make it a one-goal lead once again, but then Moreira’s free-kick re-established the two-goal lead and that would be enough to see the Rossoneri through to the end of the game.
It marked a fourth straight win for Milan in the derby and it reduces the gap to the city rivals back down to four points.
First half: A red-hot start
Ruben Amorim chose to make six changes from the team that lost to Bologna on Wednesday night, with Mario Gila, Sankhoun Diawara, Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot, Diego Moreira and Christian Pulisic all getting the nod.
Inside four minutes, Milan took the lead and it was the derby talisman Christian Pulisic who struck once again. It was quite a simple move down the right side in the end, with Diego Moreira checking back inside onto his left foot and whipped in a simply perfect cross for Pulisic to nod in from a few yards out.
Then, just a few minutes later, Milan doubled their advantage from a set-piece after another good spell of pressure. A low delivery from Moreira found the run of Rabiot towards the near post, who somehow managed to divert it in via the far post to make it 2-0.
Midway through the first half, Inter got themselves back into the game through a dead ball of their own. A corner was flicked on at the near post towards Bastoni, who was on hand to nod in from a few yards with the Milan defenders rooted.
Inter assumed the ascendancy after the goal, and they twice threatened in quick succession shortly after their first goal. Calhanoglu had a shot tipped over from the edge of the box, then another flicked header from a corner drew a desperate reaction save from Maignan.
Milan continued to give their city rivals opportunities to try and make it a brand new game. A silly foul by Pavlovic on Spence drew a free-kick just off the right edge of the box, though the eventual shot from Diouf was grasped by Maignan.
Just over 10 minutes before the break, Inter had another chance to draw themselves level. A cross from the left was not cut out by Koni De Winter, and the ball fells to Spence who fired with his left foot, but the Frenchman makes a brilliant reaction save to deflect the shot out for a corner.
Just two minutes before the break, Milan restored their two-goal advantage thanks to a quite simply beautiful free-kick from Diego Moreira. After getting two assists to his name already on the night, he turned scorer with a fantastic attempt that was up and over the wall, dipping just enough to land inside the near right post.
Second half: Guiding it home
Ten minutes into the second half, Inter had the first big opening and it fell to their recent danger man Carlos Augusto. A cross to the far post wasn’t tracked by anyone and the wing-back ghosted in at the far post, heading it wide from about a yard off the ground.
With 25 minutes left, a corner this time for Milan: Modric’s cross from the left finds Rabiot at the near post, who tries to head it in, but his connection was poor and the ball went straight out.
In the 75th minute, it looked like the game was going to be on once again when the referee gave a penalty for what he adjudged to be a handball on Mario Gila. The replays show that the cross struck his midriff, and therefore the penalty was overturned to be a corner.
With the game settled into a rhythm of attack versus defence, Amorim chose to make a double change with eight minutes to go. Pulisic and Diawara were the ones who came off, with Alphadjo Cisse and Davide Bartesaghi the ones to come on.
In the penultimate minute of added time, a double sub came from Amorim. Ramos and Moreira came off, Filippo Terracciano and Omari Hutchinson came on.
Alphadjo Cisse came on inside the final minutes and immediately came close to scoring. The Italian forward tried a curling shot from outside the area, but Martinez saved well to put it out for a corner, keeping it 3-1.
