AC Milan issued a significant statement in the Serie A title race with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Inter Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, stretching their unbeaten league run to 11 matches (W7, D4).

Separated by only two points before kick-off, the two rivals entered the derby locked in an intense battle for the Scudetto. Yet it was Inter who asserted themselves early, showing far more urgency in the opening exchanges.

Marcus Thuram forced the first big moment of the match, meeting Federico Dimarco’s cross with a superb diving header that Mike Maignan brilliantly tipped away. Moments later, Francesco Acerbi grazed the post with a powerful header from a Hakan Çalhanoğlu corner as Milan survived another scare.

Inter continued to play the more fluid and inventive football throughout the first half, with Maignan again called into action to push aside Lautaro Martínez’s blistering volley. But Milan nearly snatched an unlikely breakthrough against the run of play when Alexis Saelemaekers smashed a rebound over the bar following Davide Bartesaghi’s delivery.

Christian Pulisic also threatened just before the interval, sending a long-range effort whisking past the post—Milan’s closest chance of the opening 45 minutes.

Despite Inter’s dominance, it was Milan who struck first. Just nine minutes into the second half, Saelemaekers tested Yann Sommer with a driven effort, and the goalkeeper’s parry fell straight to Pulisic, who reacted sharply to fire home and give Milan the lead.

Galvanized by the opener, Massimiliano Allegri’s side pushed for more. Youssouf Fofana forced Sommer into another save after being picked out by Saelemaekers, as Milan momentarily took control of the contest.

But tension crept back in when Strahinja Pavlović conceded a penalty for stepping on Thuram inside the box. With Çalhanoğlu having converted all eight of his spot-kicks for club and country in 2025, the Inter supporters inside San Siro anticipated an equaliser. Maignan, however, produced another heroic moment—diving to the Turk’s preferred bottom-left corner and reacting instantly to smother the rebound.

That save proved decisive. Milan held firm through the closing stages to claim derby bragging rights and extend their unbeaten run against Inter to six matches (W4, D2).

The victory lifts Allegri’s team into second place, overtaking their city rivals, who drop to fourth after seeing a three-match league winning streak come to an end.