Milan strolled to a 3-0 home win against 10-man Lecce on Saturday afternoon, temporarily reducing the gap on Serie A leaders Inter to 11 points. Stefano Pioli’s side laid the foundation for a fifth consecutive league win with a first-half blitz, netting two unanswered goals within the opening 20 minutes.
Pioli employed Christian Pulisic as an attacking midfielder in Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s absence. The USMNT forward excelled in his new role, breaking the deadlock only three minutes into the game before Olivier Giroud doubled Rossoneri’s lead in the 20th minute.
There was no way back into this clash for Lecce after Nikola Krstovic received a straight red card on the stroke of halftime. Milan capitalized on their numerical advantage midway through the second half as Rafael Leao maintained his uptick in form with a routine finish.
Despite failing to get his name on the board, Tijjani Reijnders enjoyed a stellar game. Following a slight drop-off, the Milan midfielder is seemingly back on track. The Netherlands international praised the team’s performance in the post-game interview.
“A nice afternoon to play at San Siro. We got the three points and enjoyed it,” the Milan playmaker said, as quoted by TMW.
Another impressive display has set Milan up nicely for the upcoming Europa League quarter-final tie against Roma. Reijnders expects Rossoneri to stay on this trajectory against the fierce rivals they thrashed in both Serie A games this season.
“It will be an important game. It will be different from the other games we played against Roma. We are in a great period of form and we have to keep this pace to win.“
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