Defeating Inter, Milan reignites the championship race

AC Milan achieves a double win in the Derby della Madonnina for the first time since the 2010/11 season, beating Inter Milan 1-0. This is also Inter's first loss in the domestic league since they were defeated by Milan in November.

Inter's most recent derby victory occurred in April 2024, and their streak of six matches without a win against Milan nearly extended from the 3rd minute. At that moment, goalkeeper Yann Sommer's misplaced pass gave Christian Pulisic the chance to steal the ball before setting up Luka Modrić for a shot from about 20 meters, but the Croatian midfielder's attempt narrowly missed the post.

That was also the only notable opportunity for Milan in the first 30 minutes, while Inter's attack was rather stagnant. Two attempts by Federico Dimarco, one blocked and one over the crossbar, were among the rare dangerous moments for Nerazzurri. Later, Henrikh Mkhitaryan made a powerful run from midfield through Milan's defense, but his final shot was too tame to beat goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Immediately after that chance, the team coached by Massimiliano Allegri unexpectedly took the lead. Youssouf Fofana delivered a clever through ball for Pervis Estupiñán to sprint forward and unleash a powerful shot, driving the ball straight into the top of Sommer's net. Towards the end of the first half, Milan continued to apply pressure as Alexis Saelemaekers and Adrien Rabiot both had opportunities to double the lead, before Nicolò Barella from Inter side missed the post.

After the break, Inter pushed forward aggressively. Piotr Zieliński forced Maignan to showcase his saving skills, and Mkhitaryan later crossed favorably for Dimarco to shoot from 10 meters but sent the ball over the bar. On Milan's side, they also sought a second goal when Rafael Leão fired a dangerous angled shot, while Fofana made Sommer work hard to make a save.

By the 60th minute, Denzel Dumfries made a powerful run that disrupted Milan's defense, but his final shot lacked sufficient accuracy. Subsequently, the match was interrupted by injuries to Rabiot and Alessandro Bastoni. In the closing minutes, Inter under coach Cristian Chivu pressed for an equalizer and even had two penalty appeals, but they were not accepted by the referee.

This result helps Milan reduce the gap with Inter to 7 points with 10 rounds remaining in the season. This is Rossoneri's sixth win in their last 11 matches, while Inter ends their streak of 8 consecutive wins in Serie A and has only won 2 of their last 6 matches across all competitions.