Diego Moreira produced a key performance as Milan secured a 3-1 win against Inter in the Derby della Madonnina, stretching their winning streak over their city rivals to four straight games. The winger scored one goal and set up Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot, while Inter experienced their first loss of the Serie A campaign.
The outcome followed Milan’s 4-2 defeat to Bologna earlier in the week. Inter came into the derby leading the table after late wins against Fiorentina and Venezia, but Cristian Chivu’s team could not hold their position on the field.
Diego Moreira drives Milan in Derby della Madonnina
Milan took the lead in under four minutes. Moreira advanced down the right and sent in a cross that Pulisic headed in from close range, placing the ball into the far bottom corner.
The Rossoneri increased their lead through a cleverly executed set-piece. Moreira’s corner was passed short to Rabiot, who had escaped his marker and hit first time with the inside of his left foot, scoring via the far post.
Inter pulled one back from another corner. Manuel Akanji headed the ball on at the near post, enabling Alessandro Bastoni to head in from six yards and score his first goal in the Milan derby.
The goal shifted the momentum, with Mike Maignan making several crucial saves. He tipped Hakan Calhanoglu’s strong shot over the bar and later made an excellent one-handed reaction save to deny Djed Spence from close range.
Milan 3-1 Inter: Moreira clinches derby win
Moreira capped his impressive display by scoring Milan’s third goal from a free kick. He curled the ball over the wall and into the near corner, leaving goalkeeper Josep Martinez with a unclear view of the shot.
Inter kept pushing for another goal but found it hard to create clear chances. Carlos Augusto headed wide from a Calhanoglu cross, while Marcus Thuram did not connect properly with another delivery to seriously test Maignan.
There was also a short penalty controversy when the referee first awarded a spot kick after a Henrikh Mkhitaryan cross seemed to hit Mario Gila’s arm. VAR indicated the ball had struck the defender’s chest, and the call was reversed.
Milan spent much of the last 20 minutes protecting their lead, but Inter could not break through. Instead, Josep Martinez had to push an Alphadjo Cisse attempt away from the far top corner, while the visitors left with nothing.