Diego Moreira drives AC Milan to a 3-1 derby win over Inter

Milan attacked before Inter could settle

Moreira carried the ball down the flank in the fourth minute and crossed for Christian Pulisic to head in. Six minutes later, his corner led to Adrien Rabiot’s goal and gave Milan control of the scoreboard before the match had developed a stable rhythm.

The early advantage allowed Milan to choose when to press and when to protect the centre. Inter had more urgency, but that urgency also created space for the next transition.

Inter reduced the deficit from a set piece

Alessandro Bastoni reduced the deficit in the 22nd minute after a corner was flicked on by Manuel Akanji. Inter then produced their strongest period and forced Mike Maignan into several saves.

Maignan then made the key save of the half, reacting at close range to deny Djed Spence in the 33rd minute. The stop protected Milan’s 2-1 lead when Inter were closest to drawing level.

Moreira completed the decisive half

In the 43rd minute, Moreira curled a left-footed free kick over the wall and beyond Josep Martinez. The goal restored the two-goal margin at the point when Inter appeared closest to changing the momentum.

His contribution was not limited to the final touch. One goal and two assists reflected how often he made the correct choice after receiving in a wide area.

VAR overturned a late Inter penalty

Inter were initially awarded a penalty in the 74th minute after the ball struck Mario Gila inside the area. A VAR review showed that the ball had hit the defender’s torso, and the referee reversed the decision after checking the monitor.

Inter finished with a 19-7 advantage in shots, but Milan protected the two-goal lead and Maignan dealt with the efforts that reached his goal. Efficiency, rather than attacking volume, decided the derby.

Moreira joined Leao in the derby record book

Moreira stretched Inter’s defence with his passing and movement from the flank. Over the last 20 years, only Rafael Leao had previously recorded three goal involvements for Milan in a Serie A derby.

The result was Inter’s first league defeat of the season. It also gave Milan a fourth consecutive derby victory in all competitions and extended their unbeaten run against Inter to eight matches.