AC Milan secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Lecce on Friday, moving level with Torino at the top of Serie A. The win followed Milan’s triumph in the derby against Inter Milan the previous weekend.
Milan’s goals came in a five-minute spell during the first half, with Alvaro Morata, Theo Hernandez, and Christian Pulisic all finding the back of the net. This result marked Milan’s third consecutive league win, bringing their total to 11 points, the same as Torino. However, Milan holds a superior goal difference, though they have played one more match than their title rivals.
Paulo Fonseca’s side had several opportunities to extend their lead, with both Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek hitting the woodwork in either half.
The match did have a downside for Milan, as young defender Davide Bartesaghi was shown a red card just 10 minutes after entering the field as a substitute for Hernandez. Bartesaghi was dismissed for a rough challenge on Lecce’s Lameck Banda.
Milan now turns their attention to the Champions League, where they will face Bayer Leverkusen in Germany on Tuesday. Pulisic, in particular, has been in strong form, scoring his fourth goal in as many matches. Hernandez, too, delivered a strong performance, assisting Morata’s opener before scoring Milan’s second goal.
Inter Milan, the reigning Serie A champions, will have the chance to match Milan and Torino’s points tally when they play Udinese on Saturday. Inter will be looking to recover from their derby loss ahead of their upcoming Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade.
For Lecce, the defeat rounded off a difficult week. The team, now just one point above the relegation zone, had surrendered a two-goal lead against Parma last weekend, conceding two stoppage-time goals. They were also eliminated from the Italian Cup by second-division Sassuolo earlier this week.
