Christian Pulisic scored a late goal to give Milan a 1-0 victory against newly-promoted Genoa, allowing them to lead Serie A on Saturday. Forward Olivier Giroud stood in goal for the visitors after teammate goalkeeper Mike Maignan was sent off during stoppage time, followed by the Genoa goalkeeper. The American international Pulisic found the net in the 87th minute with a powerful shot near the penalty area after a superb pass from Yunus Musah to give Milan the lead.
However, the three points were hanging by a thread, as the match took a different turn following Maignan's red card for fouling Caleb Ekuban in stoppage time, leaving Giroud standing in goal. Fortunately for the French forward, Albert Gudmundsson’s free-kick hit the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area, and Giroud expertly saved a subsequent effort from George Puscas before the final whistle.
Milan coach Stefano Pioli said, "I would like to think that what Giroud did is part of our mentality. Pulisic wanted to be in goal and maybe he could have done that, but I told him he was too short. We were lucky in the few moments at the end, but this is part of the group’s mentality to give their all, and that makes me happy."
Milan, who secured their seventh victory in eight matches, leads the league by two points after their rival and neighbor Inter Milan let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Bologna on Saturday. Milan is struggling with injuries, and Pioli made six changes to the starting lineup that beat Lazio 2-0 last week, with midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rade Krunic, and Algerian Ismael Bennacer joining the injured list.
Genoa, who won 4-1 against Roma last month and drew 2-2 with defending champions Napoli, put up a challenge against their visitors in the first half before Pioli brought on Rafael Leao and Pulisic after the break to score. Genoa’s goalkeeper, Giuseppe Martinez, made an excellent save from a header by Leao that hit the ground before turning into a corner in the 65th minute.
Martinez also received a red card in the final minutes after Maignan’s dismissal, following a second yellow card. Milan will be without Maignan and defender Theo Hernandez, who received his fifth yellow card, when they host Juventus in the league after the international break.
