AC Milan triumphed over reigning Serie A champions at San Siro on Sunday, with Alexis Saelemaekers (3′) and Christian Pulisic (31′) on target, before Kevin De Bruyne pulled one back for Napoli from the spot, after Pervis Estupinan earned a straight red card for fouling Giovanni Di Lorenzo inside the box.

Teams

Midfielder Ardon Jashari was unavailable for Milan through a broken leg, but coach Massimiliano Allegri otherwise had the full squad at his disposal.

With Mike Maignan in goal, Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic formed the back line of three. In the middle of the park, Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana provided running power with veteran Luka Modric at the anchor. Saelemaekers and Estupinan covered the flanks, while Santiago Gimenez played with Pulisic in attack.

On the other hand, Napoli boss Antonio Conte had many more injury problems to work around. There was no Romelu Lukaku, Alessandro Buongiorno, Mathias Olivera, Leonardo Spinazzola, Amir Rrahmani, or Nikita Contini.

Alex Meret stood between the posts. Miguel Gutierrez on the left and captain Di Lorenzo on the right flanked Juan Jesus and Luca Marianucci in defence. Stanislav Lobotka was the deepest one in midfield, with Scott McTominay and Frank Anguissa in box-to-box role. De Bruyne and Matteo Politano were tasked with creating from out wide, while Rasmus Hojlund led his team’s attack.

Key moments and match flow

Milan struck early — just three minutes in — when Pulisic drove forward, created space, and picked Saelemaekers at the back post for a simple finish. The opener and its timing set the tone for what was to come throughout the first half.

Napoli looked unsettled, and Milan doubled their lead just past the half hour: a slick counter-attack saw Strahinja Pavlovic burst through, hand off to Youssouf Fofana whose flick went to Pulisic; the shot of the USA international was deflected just enough to wrong-foot Meret and go in.

After the break the momentum shifted and it made an impact which reflected on the scoreboard. Estupinan committed a foul on Di Lorenzo that led to a penalty and initially a yellow card, but it was upgraded to red after a VAR check. De Bruyne converted from the spot to bring Napoli back into it around the 60-minute mark.

However, Milan held on under increasing pressure. Napoli pushed forward late, had chances (including one from David Neres clipping the post), but Maignan made some key saves to ensure victory for the home side.

Pulisic delivers when it counts

Christian Pulisic was the fulcrum of Milan’s attacking spark. He provided the assist for the opener and then scored the second, both inventive and composed.

The ability of the former Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea forward to burst forward, exploit gaps, and influence play gives Milan a different dimension — not just through the wings, but in transitions as well. When he’s on form, he forces teams to stretch, which creates room for others behind him to operate.

Milan show great resilience with 10 men

The red card Estupinan received could’ve easily turned the game on its head completely. It did help Napoli’s momentum, as the Partenopei smelled the possibility of a comeback against one of their strongest rivals for the Scudetto and piled forward with great urgency.

However, Milan’s response under pressure was impressive. Rather than collapse, Allegri’s side reorganised defensively, Mike Maignan made crucial saves as Napoli camped in the final third, and the Rossoneri managed the game smartly to preserve a 2–1 victory.

The red card made the finish nervy, but it also underlined Milan’s resilience in closing out a result that sent them top of the table.

Napoli’s injury problems take toll

Napoli were missing key defenders and had to rely on makeshift solutions — and those gaps showed.

The early double move that Milan executed, Pulisic’s deflected effort, all of these moments were made possible by Napoli’s lack of cohesion at the back. Later, as pressure mounted, there were too many near-misses and half-chances rather than clear control or composure.

Conte obviously shouldn’t be judged too harshly for this result; no Serie A boss would’ve been able to make up for missing players like Lukaku, Rrahmani, Olivera, Spinazzola, and Buongiorno. To put it simply, there’s too much quality among the names missing from the team sheet.

Big tests lie ahead

Milan now sit at the summit (on goal difference) alongside Napoli and Roma — buoyed by this morale-boosting win. Their next test comes in Serie A against Fiorentina, followed swiftly by an Europa League tie with RB Leipzig, both demanding assignments that will test depth and adaptability.

For Napoli, the urgency is even greater. They travel to face Juventus in Serie A next — another clash with title implications — before returning to continental duty in the Champions League, facing reigning continental kings Paris Saint-Germain. Recovering from defensive frailties and structural lapses will be key if they’re to remain competitive across all fronts.