Milan entered the break with the kind of Sunday that can settle a club without pretending to solve its season. The 3-0 win over Lecce took the Rossoneri to 11 points and fifth place, behind the leading group of Roma, Inter and Lazio. It did not erase the European disappointment against Benfica, but it removed the prospect of spending three weeks under the weight of another setback.
The coach and the club
For Ruben Amorim, the result offers space to work rather than a reason for grand declarations. Milan were direct, disciplined and concerned above all with the outcome. There was little interest in elaborate moves around the edge of the area, few attacks built through the flanks and almost no surplus decoration in possession. The priority was to find the forward pass when it appeared.
Amorim also adjusted Milan’s construction, with Luka Modric back after missing the Benfica match. Adrien Rabiot again provided the running and balance around the 41-year-old Croatian. At times, Milan resembled a back four, with Gila and Estupinan operating as full-backs in what looked close to a 4-4-2.
The display did not make Milan instant title contenders, and the Champions League places will require further proof. Yet the mood around the club has changed. A broad home victory, delivered with control rather than anxiety, was precisely what was required before the pause.
Pulisic gives Milan their reference point
Christian Pulisic made his first start of the season and produced Milan’s most convincing individual performance. His return to the XI coincided with their clearest win, and it reminded the team how much sharper their attacking picture becomes when the American is involved.
His opening goal arrived around the quarter-hour. Strahinja Pavlovic sent a long, flat pass into the space between Lecce’s defence and goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone. Pulisic, pursued by Siebert, brought the ball under control with his right foot before finishing with a less clean but effective left-footed effort.
The finish carried a degree of fortune, but the first touch was the defining moment. It was a high-level piece of control, inviting comparisons with Roberto Baggio’s celebrated touch from Andrea Pirlo’s pass in Juventus’ match with Brescia, even if the later execution was very different.
The goal ended a 266-day scoring drought for Pulisic, whose previous strike had come on 28 December 2025. Milan’s faith in keeping him was underlined by Gerry Cardinale’s decision not to permit a return to the United States. Against Lecce, Pulisic showed why he remains the outstanding player in the Rossoneri squad.
A match played on Milan’s terms
Lecce defended in a clear 5-4-1 when retreating, with Pierotti dropping very deep to track Alexis Saelemaekers. In possession, Eusebio Di Francesco’s side took on something closer to a 4-4-1-1, but their attacking contribution never truly arrived.
The first half was particularly one-sided. Milan had 75.5 per cent possession before the interval, leaving Lecce with 24.5 per cent, and the visitors accepted long periods without the ball. Milan were not dazzling, but they protected themselves well and used possession patiently, waiting for the space behind Lecce’s line to open.
Pavlovic nearly added a second before half-time when Pulisic released him into open ground. This time the defender’s final touch amounted to a pass back towards Falcone. It was a warning rather than a turning point; the second half followed the same pattern.
Di Francesco’s substitution of Stulic for Esteban did not give Lecce greater threat. Milan continued to circulate the ball with vertical runs in mind, and the second goal demonstrated that approach cleanly.
Rabiot and Moreira complete the afternoon
Pulisic began the move for 2-0 with a firm pass into Rabiot. The French midfielder played a one-two with Gonçalo Ramos, who returned the ball for Rabiot to finish. Ramos did not attempt a shot, on target or otherwise, and his awkward missed overhead kick did little to change the sense that more is expected from him.
The Portuguese forward can point to the assist, but he remains on the single goal he scored against Venezia. Milan will need a more regular scoring contribution from him as the campaign develops.
Moreira, meanwhile, is already on three goals. After his double against Lazio, he supplied the final flourish against Lecce, driving forward alone and scoring Milan’s third with conviction.
The scoreline will not make every concern disappear, nor should it. But Milan left the pitch with a cleaner table position, a calmer dressing room and a clearer reminder of what Amorim’s side can look like when Pulisic is fit, Modric is available and the team chooses purpose over complication.
