Pulisic sparks Milan as Rossoneri turn derby tables against Inter
AC Milan's Christian Pulisic (L) in action with Inter Milan's Hakan Çalhanoğlu during the Serie A match at the San Siro, Milan, Italy, Sept. 22, 2024. (Reuters Photo)


Christian Pulisic scored another early goal, leading to a positive outcome for AC Milan.

Pulisic's 10th-minute strike was equalized by Federico Dimarco, but Matteo Gabbia clinched the victory with a goal two minutes from time, securing a 2-1 win over Inter Milan on Sunday – the Rossoneri's first derby triumph since 2022.

This victory also denied Inter a record seventh consecutive derby win, easing some pressure on Milan coach Paulo Fonseca, who had managed just one win in his first five matches in charge, including a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Earlier Sunday, new Roma coach Ivan Juric got off to a strong start as his team beat Udinese 3-0.

Pulisic had scored an early goal at San Siro against Liverpool, and he did so again on Sunday. Henrikh Mkhitaryan tried to chest the ball down, but Pulisic nipped in to steal it, using his speed to surge forward and his strength to hold off three defenders before firing into the bottom left corner.

Inter leveled in the 28th minute as Dimarco played a one-two with Lautaro Martínez, who managed to squeeze the ball back through a crowd of players, drilling it into the far bottom corner.

The hosts had chances to take control of the match, with Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan making a fantastic save to parry Marcus Thuram’s effort.

Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer also made an important save in the opening minute of the second half, pushing away Rafael Leão's header.

Milan was awarded a penalty in the 65th minute after Lautaro appeared to clear a corner with his arm. However, after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Maurizio Mariani revoked the decision, ruling that the ball had come off the Inter forward’s shoulder.

It was end-to-end action at San Siro, with both goalkeepers regularly called into action. Milan won the match at the death when Tijjani Reijnders whipped a free kick into the area, and Gabbia headed it into the top right corner – right in front of the section where the Rossoneri fans were seated.

A turbulent week for Roma ended with the team’s first win of the season.

Artem Dovbyk's first-half goal and Paulo Dybala's penalty at the start of the second period set Roma on its way before substitute Tommaso Baldanzi capped a dream debut for Juric in the team’s first match since the surprise dismissal of Daniele De Rossi on Wednesday.

Many Roma fans were unhappy with the decision to fire De Rossi, directing their anger at CEO and general manager Lina Souloukou, who resigned earlier Sunday.

The Curva Sud, where Roma’s staunchest fans sit, was empty for the first half hour amid a fan protest, with a large banner displayed that read: "You do not respect our values and our icons; from today, we go back to the old ways."

Numerous banners around the stadium supported De Rossi, accompanied by chants for the former Roma captain.

Fiorentina and Bologna also secured their first league wins of the season.

Albert Gudmundsson had the perfect debut, converting two penalties after coming on as a halftime substitute, helping Fiorentina fight back to beat Lazio 2-1, with the winning spot kick coming in the final minute.

Bologna won 2-1 at Monza.