Pulisic scores in another Milan derby

MILAN (AP):

Christian Pulisic’s love affair with the Milan derby continued on Saturday.

Less than four minutes after kick-off, Pulisic marked the signing of a new contract by scoring the goal that set AC Milan on the way to a 3-1 victory over fierce rivals Inter Milan in Serie A, inflicting the first defeat of the season on the league leaders and defending champions.

It was Pulisic’s fourth goal in the Milan derby. The United States international has scored more often only against Lecce, with seven goals.

Pulisic, who has netted 45 goals in 142 appearances for Milan since joining the club in 2023, signed a five-year contract extension on Friday, keeping him at the Serie A outfit until 2031.

“I want to continue scoring goals in the derby, so that way we’ll win,” Pulisic said with a smile after Milan’s fourth straight derby victory.

“These are three very important points, but we’ve got to find this consistency to play like this all the time. In the big games, it’s not a surprise that we do well.”

The Milan derby once again produced a high-octane atmosphere, with elaborate pre-match displays from both sets of supporters, and Saturday night’s clash at the San Siro was no exception as nearly 78,000 fans packed the stadium.

Inter supporters unveiled a giant tifo accompanied by a banner proclaiming that “fairytale time is over for you”, a message directed at their city rivals.

Instead, it was Milan’s fans who were celebrating early as their team raced into a 2-0 lead within the opening 10 minutes.

Pulisic struck first, meeting a Diego Moreira cross with a deft flicked header into the far corner in the fourth minute.

Milan doubled their advantage six minutes later through a corner-kick routine that appeared straight from the training ground. Adrien Rabiot lost his marker before delicately guiding Moreira’s corner in off the inside of the far post.