AC Milan Triumphs 1-0 Over Inter In Derby Della Madonnina Thanks To Maignan's Penalty Save

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AC Milan edged closer to the top of Serie A with a narrow 1-0 victory over Inter in the Derby della Madonnina. Christian Pulisic scored the decisive goal, while Mike Maignan's heroics in goal ensured the win. Maignan saved a late penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu, preventing an Inter comeback after Pulisic had broken the deadlock in the 54th minute.

Inter started strongly, with Maignan making a stunning save to deny Marcus Thuram's header just four minutes into the match. Later, Francisco Acerbi's header hit the post as Inter pushed for an early lead. Despite their efforts, they couldn't find the back of the net before halftime.

The breakthrough came shortly after halftime when Alexis Saelemaekers' shot was parried by Yann Sommer into Pulisic's path, who scored from close range. This put Milan ahead and set the tone for a tense second half as Inter sought an equaliser.

Inter had a golden opportunity to level the score when Strahinja Pavlovic fouled Thuram inside the box, resulting in a penalty after a VAR review. However, Calhanoglu's attempt was thwarted by Maignan's excellent low save, maintaining Milan's lead.

Maignan celebrated his 150th appearance in Europe's top leagues with this crucial win. His performance was pivotal as he has now saved three out of six penalties faced recently in Serie A. Previously, he had only saved one out of twelve penalties faced in the competition.

This victory also marked Massimiliano Allegri’s 100th win with AC Milan across all competitions. He joins an elite group of managers including Carlo Ancelotti and Arrigo Sacchi who have achieved this milestone with the Rossoneri.

Despite Inter generating 1.6 expected goals (xG) from their 20 shots compared to Milan’s seven attempts yielding 1.0 xG, they were unable to convert their chances due to Maignan’s outstanding goalkeeping display.