AC Milan secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Napoli at the San Siro, propelling them to the top of the Serie A 2025-26 standings on goal difference. The win, Milan’s fourth consecutive in the league, saw Christian Pulisic play a vital role, scoring one goal and creating the other, before the home side was forced to hang on with ten men for the final half hour of the match. The result creates a three-way tie at the top of the table, with Milan, Napoli, and AS Roma all sitting on 12 points.
The opening goal came in the third minute when Pulisic gathered the ball in his own half, stormed down the wing, and whipped a cross across the six-yard box for Alexis Saelemaekers to tap in at the back post. Pulisic doubled the lead in the 31st minute after receiving a pass from Youssouf Fofana and slotting a deflected shot past a wrong-footed Alex Meret.
The match took a turn when Milan defender Pervis Estupinan was shown a red card for fouling Giovanni Di Lorenzo inside the box, resulting in a penalty. The decision, upgraded to a red after a VAR review, gave Napoli a lifeline. Kevin De Bruyne converted the spot-kick, halving the deficit and setting up a nervous finish for the home side. De Bruyne, was later substituted by Antonio Conte, visibly frustrating the Belgian, who bypassed the coach on his way to the bench.
With the man disadvantage, Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri brought on Rafael Leao for his first league appearance of the season. However, Napoli poured forward in waves, desperately seeking an equalizer. Their best chance came in added time when a deflected David Neres shot clipped the post, followed by a superb save from Milan keeper Mike Maignan from another Neres effort.
The victory not only puts Milan at the top of the table but also delivers Napoli its first loss of the season. Napoli coach Antonio Conte defended his team’s performance, stating, "Coming here with this performance and playing with this quality against Milan... it has to give us a good feeling as a team." For Milan, the lack of European football this season leaves them free to focus entirely on their domestic campaign, mirroring Napoli's path to the title last season.
