Ruben Amorim marked his first Milan derby as manager with a 3-1 victory over Inter, ending the league leaders’ unbeaten run and strengthening AC Milan’s case as Serie A title contenders. Milan had lost 4-2 at home to Bologna earlier in the week, but responded with a composed performance against their city rivals.
Christian Pulisic opened the scoring in the fourth minute, heading in Diego Moreira’s cross after Milan had kept possession for 80 seconds. Adrien Rabiot doubled the lead six minutes later with a first-time finish from a rehearsed corner routine.
Inter pulled one back through Alessandro Bastoni, and Mike Maignan later made a notable save to deny Djed Spence. Moreira then restored Milan’s two-goal advantage, curling a free-kick over the wall and into the near side of the net. Inter had arrived having dropped only two points in the league all season.
Amorim brought Luka Modric and Pulisic into the starting lineup after both had been substitutes against Bologna. Mario Gila, Rabiot and Moreira also started after missing the midweek matchday squad. He opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation, with 20-year-old Sankhoun Diawara at left wing-back. Inter manager Cristian Chivu also adjusted his setup, with attacking options Lautaro Martínez, Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny unavailable to start.
The victory was a personal milestone for Amorim, who has spoken about growing up in Lisbon admiring Milan’s teams featuring Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Dejan Savicevic. He said Milan had been one of his clubs since childhood, when he regarded the team as Italy’s strongest.
Milan’s win followed a difficult start to the campaign. The club had missed out on the Champions League for a second consecutive season, while striker Gonçalo Ramos had scored twice in 10 starts since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain for €73 million. The performance also left questions about Moreira’s role, with the right wing-back often positioned higher than the centre-forward.
Amorim cautioned against overreacting, saying Milan had been good rather than great and that the three points were no more than they would have earned by beating Bologna. After 10 league matches, Milan were fifth on 21 points, four behind leaders Lazio and four behind second-placed Inter. Milan had won their last four derbies across all competitions and were unbeaten in the last eight, but had not finished above Inter since their 2021-22 Scudetto-winning season.
The result came in the same week that Milan and Inter presented plans for a new stadium to replace San Siro in 2031. Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has publicly backed Amorim, and the derby victory added weight to the suggestion that the Rossoneri could challenge for the title.
Sources: The Guardian Sport.