Christian Pulisic made his mark with a goal and an assist off the bench, but it wasn't enough to save Milan in a 4-2 loss to Monza.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Pulisic scores equalizing goalUSMNT star sets up Giroud as wellMilan throw it away lateWHAT HAPPENED?
With both Pulisic and Yunus Musah left out the XI, Milan dug themselves quite a hole, conceding twice in the first half against midtable Monza.
Both goals came just before halftime, with Matteo Pessina opening the scoring in the 45th minute from the spot. Dany Mota doubled that lead in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time, giving Monza a 2-0 advantage heading into the break.
It got no better for Milan in the opening moments of the second half. Luka Jovic was dismissed with a straight red card in the 52nd minute, leaving Milan with it all to do and down a man.
Milan, though, did fight back. Having subbed in several stars at halftime, Milan broke through with a goal from Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman was thrown into the fray alongside Pulisic and Rafael Leao, and it was the American's flicked-on assist that teed up the Frenchman to make it 2-1.
Pulisic, then, leveled the match late on, scoring a stunning goal in the 88th minute. His fantastic finish to the back post seemingly earned Milan a split of the points. It wasn't to be, though.
Monza struck back to reclaim all three points, netting the game-winner in the 90th minute. Warren Bondo provided the finish to reclaim the lead before on-loan striker Lorenzo Colombo added another to add insult to injury as Monza stunned Milan in a 4-2 win.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
With the loss, Milan joins Juventus in dropping points this weekend. As a result, the title has been all but handed to Inter, who have opened up a massive lead atop Serie A. As things stand, Inter have a nine-point lead on second-place Juve and an 11-point lead on their local rivals Milan. And, to make matters worse, Inter have a game in hand on both of them as we head into the final third of the Serie A season.
Getty ImagesUSMNT IMPACT
Pulisic more than made his mark off the bench, but Milan were unable to coast in a match that saw Stefano Pioli rotate the team. That was done, no doubt, due to the club's Europa League schedule, as Milan topped Rennes 3-0 on Thursday in the first leg of their tie with another match in France set for Thursday.
As a result, there's no need to read into Pulisic's benching, as he was sat alongside fellow starters Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao. Pulisic's goal and assist, though, will be a huge positive for a player whose form has taken a slight dip in recent weeks. The left-foot finish to make it 2-2, in particular, was fantastic, as Pulisic placed his shot to the far post to score what should have been the final goal of the game.
Pulisic had largely been held quiet in recent weeks as a resurgent Leao led the charge in attack. This performance will give the American a bit of a lift, even if it didn't lead to the three points Milan desperately needed in this title race.
Getty ImagesGOAL'S RATINGS
Christian Pulisic (9/10):
Came on in the second half and made a big impact, starting with his flicked-on header to Giroud. That was just the start, though, as Pulisic went on to score a superb goal to single-handedly drag Milan back into it.
Yunus Musah (6/10):
Went all 90 minutes against Rennes on Thursday, so no need to worry about him not getting thrown into this one until very, very late. Once on, he didn't get to do too much.