AC Milan bounced back from a deflating 4-2 defeat to Bologna with a resounding 3-1 win against San Siro rivals and reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan on Saturday.
The U.S. Men's National Team was well represented in the storied derby, with Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both starting for the Rossoneri under former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.
Pulisic wasted no time in leaving his mark on the game, heading home the opener in just the fourth minute before Adrien Rabiot made it 2-0 shortly after. Alessandro Bastoni found the back of the Milan net in the 22nd minute, but a Diego Moreira free kick ultimately sealed a valuable three points for Amorim's side just before half-time.
Pulisic has scored three goals so far this season -Credit:Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images
For Pulisic, who mere days earlier put pen to paper on an extension through 2031 , this marked his third goal in seven league appearances this season as he looks to get back to the level of dominance he displayed in his first two seasons in Milan.
"I like to play in big games. We're always very motivated and we've seemed to do well against Inter in recent times," Pulisic told CBS Sports Golazo post-match. "For us, it's about finding the consistency in all the other games. Because we seem to find that, yeah, we found a little extra motivation for these ones."
Consistency has been tough to come by so far this season, with Milan sitting fifth in Serie A with a 6-3-1 record, while they've struggled in the UEFA Europa League, losing twice and winning just one of their games thus far.
"Days like this help. I think we want to take, watch video, rest and recover, find the good things that we did and find the things that we can improve on," Pulisic said. "And I think we need to switch on that intensity every single moment that we step on the pitch.
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"I think that's all it is. I think we've showed today we have it in us to win in big games. For us, it's about managing the guys the best we can. Obviously, it's tough with so many games, but we're going to do our best.
The 27-year-old's point about their schedule being so compact will be demonstrated once again this week, with Hungarian side Ferencvárosi visiting the San Siro on Thursday before Milan travels to Genoa on Sunday.
On the plus side, Pulisic can tackle the week not only with the confidence of a win and another goal under his belt, but also the long-term security of a new deal.
"What this club has given me from top to bottom, honestly, the trust and just the confidence they've given me to repay these fans on a day like today. But I want to give them so much more because they really restarted my career and helped me in so many ways," he said. "So I owe it to them."
