Inter Milan’s grip on the Serie A title tightened after a tense Derby della Madonnina, as AC Milan’s hopes of closing the gap suffered another setback. In a game shaped by aggressive pressing, tactical adjustments and key moments in transition, Inter once again showed why they lead the race — even if Milan’s intensity ensured the contest remained finely balanced throughout.
The Derby della Madonnina carried huge weight in the Serie A title race. Inter Milan looked like the runaway leaders, while AC Milan, 10 points behind, needed a win to keep their hopes alive.
When trying to play through Milan’s high press, Inter adjusted their build-up. Bisseck moved wide to operate as a right-back, while Nicolò Barella dropped between the centre-backs as a right-sided defender to help progression. Akanji shifted slightly right, with Alessandro Bastoni moving to left-back. Ahead of them, Piotr Zieliński positioned himself just outside the box to receive, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan stayed higher, ready to link play vertically. Up front, Francesco Pio Esposito led the line with Bonny operating around him as a second striker.
Milan pressed aggressively, pushing both forwards high onto Inter’s back line. Behind them, a compact line of five narrowed the space, aiming to control the final third and block passing lanes. Pervis Estupiñán operated as a left wing-back, with Alexis Saelemaekers on the right. Centrally, Luka Modrić stepped forward from a deeper role, often joining attacks, supported by Adrien Rabiot and Fofana, who also advanced when needed. The back three held a high line near the halfway line to prevent counters or long balls towards Esposito and Bonny.
In the 3rd minute, Yann Sommer attempted a pass to Zieliński, but it drifted wide and fell to Christian Pulisic. He quickly fed Modrić, who cut inside onto his left foot and fired a shot that went just wide.
When Milan attacked, Pulisic moved centrally as a centre-forward, while Rafael Leão shifted out to the left wing and Saelemaekers held width on the right. Fofana operated as an attacking midfielder, with Estupiñán supporting down the left and Modrić arriving late to create from deeper positions. Behind them, Rabiot dropped into defence as a centre-back to help build play, with Pavlović moving to left-back and Fikayo Tomori shifting to right-back, forming a back four. This structure remained fluid, with Estupiñán sometimes pushing higher as a winger, allowing Leão to move inside, or dropping deeper again as Pavlović returned centrally and Rabiot advanced back into midfield.
Inter defended in a more traditional shape, with Bisseck at right-back and Federico Dimarco dropping to left-back. Ahead of them, a midfield four formed, with Luís Henrique tucked inside alongside Barella and Zieliński, and Mkhitaryan on the left. Bonny and Esposito stayed further forward as the first line of pressure.
In the 34th minute, Milan were attacking but lost possession after a careless pass from Leão. Akanji intercepted and played forward to Esposito. Modrić attempted a slide tackle, but the ball broke to Zieliński, who quickly released Mkhitaryan on the counter. Inter broke three against two, and as Bonny drifted left to create space, Mkhitaryan chose to drive into the box rather than pass. He eventually shot, but the effort lacked quality and went straight at Mike Maignan.
He passed to Fofana, and the French midfielder quickly played it to Rafael Leão, who cushioned the ball back with the outside of his foot. Fofana then sent a long through ball to Pervis Estupiñán, who was running in behind Luís Henrique. He controlled it well and struck a powerful shot to score, putting Milan 1–0 ahead.
In the 39th minute, as Inter tried to play through the press, De Winter won the ball and immediately passed to Christian Pulisic, who drove forward, beat Bisseck with a flip-flap, and crossed into the box. Alexis Saelemaekers met it but sent his effort well over the bar.
In the 43rd minute, Luka Modrić delivered an excellent long ball over Inter’s defence to Estupiñán on the left. He controlled it on the move, cut inside, and switched play to Fikayo Tomori, who attempted a first-time pass into the middle for Pulisic and Fofana, but Alessandro Bastoni intercepted and cleared it for a corner.
When attacking, Inter Milan pushed their defensive line up towards the halfway line, with Akanji central, Bastoni on the left, and Nicolò Barella dropping deeper on the right. Piotr Zieliński and Henrikh Mkhitaryan operated centrally, while ahead of them a line of four formed: Luís Henrique and Federico Dimarco on the flanks, Bonny drifting left, and Bisseck stepping forward from centre-back to act as a second attacker on the right. Francesco Pio Esposito stayed central as the main striker. At times, Bisseck dropped back into defence, allowing Barella to push forward.
AC Milan defended by narrowing their centre-backs and dropping Estupiñán and Saelemaekers into full-back roles. In front, a midfield four operated in a 2-2 shape, with Adrien Rabiot and Modrić central, and Pulisic on the left with Fofana on the right ahead of them. Leão stayed furthest forward, occasionally leading the press with support from Pulisic and Fofana, forming a 5-2-3 defensive shape near the halfway line while also being ready to counter with his pace.
In the 48th minute, Dimarco delivered a corner to the near post where Bisseck flicked it on. The ball travelled across the box to Mkhitaryan, who laid it off to Zieliński. The Polish midfielder feigned a shot before passing to Barella on the edge of the area, but his long-range effort drifted wide.
When pressing, Inter pushed forward with Bonny and Esposito leading the line. Behind them, a midfield five formed across the second third, with Luís Henrique and Dimarco high on the flanks and three central players compact. At times, Luís Henrique moved inside to press as a second striker, with Esposito central and Bonny drifting left, supported by a four-man midfield line behind. The three centre-backs remained near the halfway line.
To play through the press, Milan spread Pavlović and De Winter inside the box, with Tomori shifting to right-back and Estupiñán dropping to left-back. Modrić positioned himself deeper to dictate play, while Fofana and Rabiot offered passing options ahead. Out wide, Leão operated almost as a left wing-back, Saelemaekers on the right, and Pulisic centrally.
In the 47th minute, early in the second half, Inter attempted to press high, but Mike Maignan cleared long. Leão challenged Bastoni but the ball broke centrally to Mkhitaryan, who found Zieliński. He turned and advanced before passing to Barella, who released Luís Henrique on the right. The Brazilian wing-back feigned a cross and played it back to Barella, who spotted Zieliński unmarked in the box. However, Zieliński opted to shoot instead of passing to Bonny near the goal line, and his effort went straight at Maignan.
In the 49th minute, after De Winter won an aerial duel with Esposito, Fofana flicked the ball into Pulisic’s path. The American attacker beat Zieliński with a La Croqueta and surged forward between Bastoni and Mkhitaryan before passing to Leão, whose angled shot went wide.
In the 51st minute, Inter tried to counter-press through Dimarco after Barella lost possession, but Milan broke quickly. Modrić found Fofana, who drove forward through the centre. Spotting Pulisic making a run to the left, Fofana instead chose to shoot from distance, but Yann Sommer gathered comfortably at the second attempt.
In the 54th minute, Estupiñán lost the ball to Barella in what looked like a foul. Barella crossed, the ball bypassed Bonny and Milan’s defenders, and fell to Mkhitaryan, who laid it off to Dimarco near the penalty spot. His powerful effort lacked direction and flew over the bar.
Deep into stoppage time, Inter appealed for a penalty involving Bastoni, but replays showed the contact came after the shot and had no impact.
Moments later, in the 93rd minute, Dimarco delivered a corner, but the referee blew his whistle before it reached the players. The ball was then deflected into the net, but the goal did not count. Inter players protested heavily, as it appeared to be a normal challenge that would have resulted in a late equaliser.
Milan were the better side over the 90 minutes, creating more chances and executing their pressing strategy effectively while threatening on the counter in the second half. The win reduces the gap to seven points, though the title race remains difficult with Inter now able to focus fully on Serie A after their Champions League exit. For Inter, defensive mistakes and missed chances, including Dimarco’s opportunity, proved costly, and they were often controlled by Milan. However, they will feel aggrieved by the late refereeing decision that denied them a potential equaliser. With 10 games remaining, Milan have at least given themselves a glimmer of hope in the title race.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Israel Schmidt de Azevedo
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