AC Milan beat Hellas Verona 3-0 on Sunday to leapfrog leaders Inter and provisionally move top of the standings thanks to a brace from Christopher Nkunku as the French forward opened his Serie A account for the season.
Christian Pulisic scored the opener in first-half added time from a corner after Verona stubbornly held the home side at bay before Nkunku scored twice in five minutes for his first brace in over a year.
Victory in their final game of the year moved Milan to 35 points — two points clear of derby rivals Inter, who face Atalanta away later on Sunday. Verona remain 18th.
In the first half, Verona religiously stuck to their game plan, defending with intensity and organisation that left Milan circulating the ball patiently but struggling to find the killer pass through their well-drilled structure.
Despite controlling possession, clear chances were scarce for Milan and frustration grew as Verona held firm. But just when it seemed the teams would head into the break goalless, Milan found their breakthrough from a corner.
Pulisic opens scoring
Luka Modric’s delivery was flicked on by an Adrien Rabiot header to the far post where Pulisic reacted sharply to volley home from close range to get the San Siro crowd off their seats.
Less than two minutes after the restart, Verona defender Victor Nelsson hauled Nkunku down in the box and the French forward stepped up to take the penalty, sending keeper Lorenzo Montipo the wrong way to double Milan’s lead.
Verona were rattled and five minutes later Milan tightened the noose with their third goal when Modric’s strike from range beat Montipo’s outstretched hand and came off the post for Nkunku to tap into an empty net.
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The third goal killed the game and Milan were in full control, dictating the tempo and limiting Verona to half chances.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek also went close with a one-on-one effort that produced a save from Montipo while Verona briefly thought they had pulled one back through Gift Orban, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside and a foul on keeper Mike Maignan.
Allegri also handed 19-year-old defender David Odogu his Serie A debut in the final stages as they comfortably managed the closing minutes to seal a convincing home win.
Juventus wins 2-0 at promoted Pisa in Serie A
Late goals from Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz earned Juventus a 2-0 win at promoted Pisa as the Bianconeri won their third straight in Serie A.
It was a challenge for Luciano Spalletti’s side, though, as Pisa threatened by twice hitting the woodwork.
Following morale-boosting victories over Bologna and Roma, Juventus moved up to third place – four places higher than when Spalletti was hired to replace the fired Igor Tudor two months ago.
Edon Zeghrova provided a burst of energy for Juventus when he came on just after the hour mark and his work down the left flank led to Kalulu finishing off a counterattack from close range. Yildiz then added another from close range in stoppage time.
Pisa’s 17-year-old winger Louis Thomas Buffon, the son of former Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon, came on in the 85th for his fourth Serie A appearance.
Earlier, Como won 3-0 at Lecce to move up to sixth as Nico Paz netted his sixth of the season. Jacobo Ramon and Anastasios Douvikas added goals for the visitors.
Fiorentina’s crisis deepened with a 1-0 loss at Parma that left the Viola in last place. Oliver Sorensen scored shortly after the break for Parma, which moved five points clear of the drop zone.
Also, Udinese and Lazio drew 1-1; and Cagliari came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Torino.