Christian Pulisic shook off illness to inspire a stunning AC Milan comeback, scoring twice in a 3-2 turnaround victory away at Torino, though the night was soured by Rafael Leao’s injury scare.
Milan entered the clash needing a response after their Coppa Italia exit to Lazio, and a win to stay level with Napoli at the top.
Pulisic, battling a fever, only joined the squad on matchday, with Santiago Gimenez and Zachary Athekame still sidelined.
Torino, meanwhile, were desperate for their first win in five games.
Max Allegri watched from the stands serving another touchline suspension, and he saw Milan get off to a nightmare start. Fikayo Tomori’s careless handball gifted Torino a penalty, calmly dispatched by Nikola Vlasic beyond Mike Maignan’s fingertips.
Moments later, Duvan Zapata, scoring his first goal in over a year, punished a weak Christopher Nkunku challenge to fire through Strahinja Pavlovic’s legs and into the net for 2-0.
Just as Torino sensed control, Adrien Rabiot lit up the game with a spectacular strike from 29 metres, Milan’s longest-range goal since Keisuke Honda in 2016.
But concern quickly followed: Leao pulled up in pain after a scuffed attempt and was forced off clutching his right adductor, replaced by former Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci.
Milan continued to grow into the contest, with Rabiot going close again and Israel producing a superb double save to deny Bartesaghi and Ricci.
Torino had half-chances too, but their ruthlessness vanished after the break.
Then came Pulisic and the transformation. Introduced off the bench, his very first involvement was an equaliser, cushioning a Saelemaekers cross before drilling home from close range.
The American wasn’t done, and after Tameze limped off during a Torino switch, Pulisic pounced again, this time a clever half-volley from Ricci’s bouncing delivery, to complete an unlikely turnaround and net his seventh goal in just nine Serie A outings.
He even had the ball in the net for a third time, but Nkunku’s prior offside robbed him of a deserved hat-trick. Zakaria Aboukhlal later blocked another threatening Pulisic break as Milan controlled the dying moments.
From fever to hero, Pulisic carried Milan to a hard-earned comeback, while the club now anxiously awaits updates on Leao’s condition.
