AC Milan vs Liverpool Review
Liverpool rallied to defeat AC Milan 3-1 in their return to the UEFA Champions League, marking their third straight victory in head-to-head matchups. The Rossoneri started strong, taking the lead within the first three minutes when Álvaro Morata set up Christian Pulisic, who, seeing no support, fired the ball into the far corner.
The Reds equalized in the 23rd minute when Davide Calabria fouled Cody Gakpo, leading to a free-kick that Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered for Ibrahima Konaté to head in powerfully. The visitors then created more opportunities, but Diogo Jota missed his shot wide, and Salah hit the crossbar again before the ball deflected off Mike Maignan’s foot and away from danger.
They took the lead from another set-piece when Virgil van Dijk scored with a header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner, marking his 50th Champions League appearance. Maignan had already made two saves before the break but had to be substituted in the 51st minute for 19-year-old Lorenzo Torriani after bravely stopping Jota.
Despite the pressure from the home crowd at San Siro, the debutant remained composed and successfully denied Dominik Szoboszlai twice. However, Szoboszlai finally found the net on his third attempt, as Gakpo sliced through Milan’s defense and set him up for a shot that went in off the post.
This win allowed Liverpool to bounce back from their Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest, securing four victories in five matches under Arne Slot. Meanwhile, Milan has managed only one win in their five competitive games this season. Paulo Fonseca faces a tough challenge ahead with Inter and Bayer Leverkusen in their next three fixtures.
