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Milan's showdown with crosstown rivals Inter on Saturday evening had been dubbed in Italy as the 'Halloween derby.' Ultimately, it was a familiar figure who came back to haunt the Nerazzurri.
Christian Pulisic netted his fourth goal in this storied fixture to open the scoring in front of a packed San Siro. The attendance—the highest this match has witnessed in over five years—should not have caught anyone off guard; Lecce are the only Italian side to have conceded more goals to Milan's American star than Inter.
Sparked by Pulisic's precise header inside four minutes, Milan doubled their advantage before the clock hit double digits. Diego Moreira's clean free kick would cancel out Alessandro Bastoni's bundled effort, as the Rossoneri cruised to a 3–1 victory on a night that carried special significance for Pulisic.
Beyond the prestige of one of European football's most celebrated occasions, Saturday's derby marked the first game since Pulisic had pledged his long-term future to the club.
While he claimed to feel no pressure from that lucrative new deal, the influential USMNT forward still savored the moment. "It does feel really good," he told CBS Sports with a broad smile after the final whistle.
Pulisic's Record Against Inter
"What this club has given me—from top to bottom—honestly, the trust and just the confidence they've shown in me, to repay these fans on a day like today..." he added thoughtfully, trailing off with a touching sense of gratitude.
"I love playing in the biggest games and the atmosphere was incredible today, to get another win is always special," Pulisic went on. "There was a really intense focus going into the locker room, you could feel it. I always feel it in these games. I had a great feeling going into today. I think everyone did."
The admiration between Pulisic and Milan is clearly reciprocated. The club's American owner Gerry Cardinale was lavish in his praise for his fellow countryman. "He is 'Captain America,' but he is also my franchise player," Cardinale enthused. "I couldn't be more thrilled to have him with us. He's a leader, and his presence on the pitch makes all the difference in the world. You've seen it this year: when he steps onto the field, he completely changes the game."
'I Owe It to Them'—Pulisic's Vow for the Future
We love you, Puli 🫶 pic.twitter.com/rIEaNbLb4z
Despite the joy of Saturday's triumph, Pulisic was not satisfied with simply being a player who delivers in marquee moments. The 28-year-old is determined to be a player who delivers in every moment.
"I want to give them so much more because they really revived my career and supported me in so many ways," the dynamic forward stressed. "I owe it to them."
Milan as a collective mirror Pulisic's own inconsistency. The versatile winger came off the bench to turn the tide against a dominant Lazio in September ahead of his derby heroics, yet has gone quiet in mid-table encounters against the likes of Sassuolo, Atalanta and Bologna. Milan, similarly, are now unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Inter, yet they haven't finished above their city neighbors in Serie A for four consecutive seasons.
When asked how he and the squad could tackle that persistent inconsistency, Pulisic offered: "Watch video, rest and recover. Find the good things that we did and just continue to find the things that we can improve on. And I think we need to switch on that intensity every single moment that we step on the pitch. I think that's all it is.
"I think we've shown today that we have it in us to win in big games, so for us it's about managing the games as best we can. Obviously it's tough with so many games but we're going to do our best."