U.S. international Christian Pulisic said AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Inter Milan underlined the team’s determination and showed they can be serious contenders in Serie A this season. He also praised goalkeeper Mike Maignan, calling the France international’s display “one of the best goalkeeper performances” he has seen in his career.
Getty Images Sport'I can improve even more'
Pulisic scored the decisive winner for Milan in the second half, while Maignan had six saves in the contest.
After the final whistle, Pulisic underlined the personal and collective significance of the derby triumph, saying the victory “means everything” for the group. He admitted that he is not yet back to full match sharpness following a recent injury layoff, but stressed that hard work and resilience had helped him contribute when it mattered. The forward framed the goal as validation of effort and a boost for the dressing room.
“It means everything, honestly, just the result today,” Pulisic said in his post-match interview with CBS Sports. “It just puts us in a good place, and yeah, I’m really happy to come back after some tough moments in the last month to come back and help the team to win.
“I mean, honestly, I think I can improve even more,” Pulisic added. “I don’t feel a 100 percent sharp after coming back from an injury and some time out. But it just shows the resilience, and I work really hard and happy a moment like today can come; it means a lot to me.”
Pulisic singled out his teammates’ determination in the closing stages, praising Milan’s defensive resolve and team unity. He pointed to the way the side defended the lead in the last half hour as evidence of a strong collective mentality, adding that confidence gained from such wins can carry through the season. The striker also reflected on his own standards, saying there is still room to sharpen his performances despite the decisive contribution.
“Honestly, just the way this team has suffered even when we’re up goals and you can see in the last 30 minutes the way we defend,” Pulisic explained. “I just think we have a really good team spirit, the team’s will is incredible no matter what happens, we’ve gone down, we’ve come back, we’ve gone up and we’ve defended. I think we’ve just seen the games through and yup, we feel confident going into the games.”
AdvertisementGetty Images SportMilan's title credentials
Milan now sit just two points back from Roma on the Serie A summit, and Pulisic stressed the club has higher ambitions.
"For us, you know, we're not looking at, you know, right, where we want to be at the top of the table the whole season. It's when it comes down to it, we have to be there, so we take it game by game," he said. "Big performances like this against big teams helped us a lot. Yeah, sends a message to hopefully the rest of the league, but we just have to keep going and finding consistency."
AFP'Over and over again, he's saving us'
Pulisic reserved special praise for Maignan after a world-class performance from AC Milan's goalkeeper.
"I mean, one of the best goalkeeper performances I've seen in my career, truly, not just the penalty," he said. "I mean, that was amazing, but in the first half, some big saves, some I mean, just over and over again, he's saving us. So it was a really amazing performance."
Getty Images SportNext steps for the Rossoneri
The Rossoneri will face Lazio next in the Serie A on Nov. 29 before facing them again in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia on December 4.
