AC Milan boosted their Serie A title ambitions with a narrow 1–0 victory over city rivals Inter Milan in Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina, closing the gap on the league leaders to seven points.
The decisive moment came in the 35th minute when Ecuadorian defender Pervis Estupiñán fired home from close range after being picked out by a superb through ball from Youssouf Fofana, giving the Rossoneri a crucial lead they would ultimately protect.
Inter had earlier been handed a golden opportunity after a misplaced goal kick from Yann Sommer allowed Luka Modrić a clear sight of goal, but the veteran midfielder dragged his effort wide of the post.
The Nerazzurri soon responded and nearly went ahead through Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who surged forward from midfield and broke into the box, only to be denied in a one-on-one situation by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
That save proved pivotal, as Milan struck less than two minutes later through Estupiñán’s powerful finish.
After the interval, Inter increased the pressure. Piotr Zieliński forced another sharp stop from Maignan at the near post, while Federico Dimarco squandered a promising chance from close range after being set up by Mkhitaryan.
Inter thought they had snatched a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time when a cross from Dimarco ended up in the net past Sommer, but referee Daniele Doveri had already blown for a foul on Carlos Augusto during the set piece, allowing Milan to see out the remaining moments.
The victory also continued an impressive derby run for coach Massimiliano Allegri’s side, who are now unbeaten in their last seven meetings with Inter in all competitions (five wins and two draws). It marks Milan’s best run against their rivals since a 10-match unbeaten streak between 2002 and 2005.
Estupiñán’s goal also carried historical significance, as he became the first Ecuadorian to score in a Milan derby.
The win lifted Milan to 60 points from their opening 28 league matches, a tally they have achieved only a handful of times in the modern era.
Despite the result, Inter arguably created the better chances, finishing with a higher expected goals (xG) figure of 1.24 from 11 attempts compared to Milan’s 0.77 from nine shots.
However, the Rossoneri’s resilience ensured they walked away with all three points in one of Italian football’s fiercest rivalries.
