Milan wanted a second of readability, a second of braveness, and above all, a second of composure, and Christian Pulisic delivered all three. The Derby della Madonnina was billed as a take a look at of resilience, of identification, and of whether or not the Rossoneri may hold tempo with an more and more ruthless title race. Pulisic ensured the reply was sure — however his evening didn’t finish with the successful aim alone. After the match, the American provided a nine-word warning aimed straight at Inter, Juventus, and the remainder of Serie A. And his rivals won’t take pleasure in listening to it.
Milan’s victory got here not solely from Pulisic’s strike however from a united efficiency that mirrored Massimiliano Allegri’s reshaped imaginative and prescient for the group. In a derby thick with pressure, symbolism, and consequence, The Pink and Blacks discovered a strategy to win a match it had no enterprise successful statistically — and that’s precisely why the league desk instantly seems completely different.
Inter began quicker and sharper, dictating the early tempo with an attacking rhythm that repeatedly threatened to overwhelm its rival. Nevertheless, Milan absorbed the whole lot — typically desperately, typically methodically — and waited. Allegri had chosen his sample: take the blows, then land one decisive punch. The match leaned closely towards Inter, however soccer has a manner of bending towards the group that survives longest.
Simply earlier than half-time, Pulisic despatched the primary actual reminder of his menace. A burst into area, a diagonal run, and a low strike that skimmed huge. It was Milan’s first true glimpse of how this derby is perhaps determined. And within the second half, it was.
9 minutes after the restart, Youssouf Fofana dispossessed Hakan Calhanoglu, sparking the counter that modified the whole lot. Alexis Saelemaekers’ miscued shot pressured Yann Sommer into a clumsy save, and Pulisic — studying the second sooner than everybody else — attacked the rebound. “This aim means the whole lot to me… I’m actually completely satisfied to be again on the pitch after final month’s issues,” Pulisic informed CBS Golazo afterward.
What did Christian Pulisic say?
Solely after the whistle did Pulisic deal with the bigger image. He was measured, cautious to not sound conceited, however unmistakably agency in his perception that Milan’s ambition is greater than a derby win. After which got here the nine-word message, delivered with quiet conviction: “We all the time wish to be prime of the desk.”
The which means was unmistakable: Milan is now not excited by chasing; it intends to steer. “Massive performances like this towards large groups helped us so much… it sends a message to the remainder of the league,” he added.
New model of Pulisic — and of Milan
This season, Pulisic’s recreation has sharpened into one thing extra direct, extra decisive. Allegri has stripped away extra duties and positioned him nearer to the aim, and the numbers mirror it: each certainly one of his Serie A targets has come from inside 15 yards.
He’s taking pictures extra, dribbling much less, and making each run rely. Massimiliano Allegri’s facet, in the meantime, has develop into a group of extremes — defending deep but breaking ahead with surgical precision, thriving on chaos but organized within the moments that matter. “Truthfully, I can enhance much more… I work actually laborious to get to moments like this,” Pulisic stated.
That mindset displays the group. Milan sits close to the highest as a result of it refuses to outline itself by its weaknesses. Once they defend, they defend collectively. Once they counter, they counter with conviction. And after they win, as they did towards Inter, they win in ways in which form a season.
