Genoa 1–2 AC Milan: Cissé and Pulisic strike early before late Ellertsson scare

AC Milan followed their derby victory with another Serie A win, defeating Genoa 2–1 at the Luigi Ferraris after taking a two-goal lead inside nineteen minutes. Alphadjo Cissé made the breakthrough in the 13th minute following an attacking move involving Adrien Rabiot. Christian Pulisic then doubled the advantage six minutes later, finishing another opportunity created by Milan's ability to win possession and attack before Genoa could reorganise. The early scoring burst was precisely the response Ruben Amorim needed after the midweek European setback.

The contest takes shape

Genoa refused to allow the opening spell to decide the entire afternoon. Daniele De Rossi's side began winning territory, and Mike Maignan was required to deal with attempts involving Samuel Wiafe and Leo Østigård before the interval. The home team kept applying pressure after the break, forcing the Rossoneri into several important defensive interventions. Koni De Winter denied a promising move involving Milutin Osmajić, while Maignan later produced another important stop as Genoa searched for the goal that could change the contest.

Decisive second-half moments

That goal arrived in the 88th minute. Mikael Ellertsson finished from distance after a pass from Tommaso Baldanzi, reducing the score to 2–1 and transforming what had looked like a controlled away victory into a tense final few minutes. Genoa pushed forward again during added time, but Milan's back line protected the narrow advantage. Their goalkeeper's saves proved as important as the two early finishes once the hosts began creating more dangerous openings.

What the result tells us

The final figures reveal why Milan's early precision was so important. Genoa produced seventeen shots to the visitors' six and put five on target, compared with Milan's two. Both Rossoneri efforts on target became goals. Genoa therefore created a much greater volume of attempts without finding a second finish, while Maignan's interventions supported a defence put under pressure after the break. Cissé and Pulisic made Milan's few opportunities count in the opening nineteen minutes; Ellertsson's late strike showed Genoa's persistence but did not change the result. For Amorim, three points were welcome, although the shot count highlighted defensive work still to be done.