Just ten minutes had passed at San Siro when AC Milan found themselves 2-0 ahead. For Inter, the Derby della Madonnina began as a nightmare. For Diego Moreira, it turned into the biggest night of his career so far. The 22-year-old Belgian created both early goals before adding a spectacular free-kick of his own. Inter went on to dominate possession and create significantly more chances, but that was not enough to prevent a convincing Rossoneri victory.
Moreira tears Inter’s defence apart
Milan were determined to respond after their disappointing 4-2 home defeat to Bologna. Head coach Rúben Amorim set his team up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Gonçalo Ramos leading the attack and Adrien Rabiot operating in a more advanced role behind him.
The decision to start Diego Moreira on the right flank proved particularly effective.
Just four minutes into the match, the winger burst past his opponent and delivered a precise cross towards the far post. Christian Pulisic was on hand to head Milan into a 1-0 lead.
Six minutes later, Moreira was instrumental again. This time, he played a low corner towards Rabiot, who produced a technically superb finish to lift the ball over Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez.
Both goals highlighted the problems facing the Nerazzurri. Milan attacked at pace down the flanks, moved players quickly into dangerous positions and ruthlessly exploited Inter’s defensive marking errors.
Cristian Chivu’s side looked disorganised in the opening stages. Carlos Augusto struggled to cope with Moreira’s pace and movement, while the midfield failed to provide sufficient cover to deal with Milan’s second wave of attacking runs.
Inter take control, but Milan strike again
Despite the early setbacks, Inter gradually worked their way back into the contest. The visitors began to establish themselves in Milan’s half, made better use of their numerical presence in midfield and generated increasing pressure through the wide areas.
The response arrived in the 22nd minute. Hakan Çalhanoğlu delivered a corner, Manuel Akanji flicked the ball on and Alessandro Bastoni headed home to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
Djed Spence almost completed the comeback shortly afterwards, but Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced an outstanding save to preserve the lead.
Inter failed to capitalise on their opportunity to equalise. Instead, Moreira restored Milan’s two-goal cushion in the 43rd minute, curling a superb left-footed free-kick into the net from approximately 25 metres.
Why Milan needed fewer chances
The match statistics reveal the striking difference in how efficiently the two teams used their opportunities.
Inter enjoyed 57 per cent possession, registered 19 shots and won eleven corners. Milan, by contrast, managed just seven attempts and three corners.
The Nerazzurri also led the shots-on-target count by eight to four. Yet it was Milan who emerged with a two-goal victory.
Amorim’s side converted three of their four shots on target, while Inter scored just once despite their greater attacking presence. Beyond Moreira’s individual brilliance, Milan’s compact defensive organisation played a crucial role in that outcome.
The Rossoneri defended with much tighter distances between players than they had against Bologna. Their two banks of four shifted across the pitch together, preventing numerous dangerous deliveries from wide areas and reducing the need for lengthy recovery runs after losing possession.
Rabiot and Pulisic worked tirelessly without the ball, while Luka Modrić and Yunus Musah sought to disrupt Inter’s passing combinations through the centre.
Amorim subsequently praised his team’s improved organisation both when pressing high and when defending in a deeper block. The reduced distances between players had helped conserve energy and made it easier to contain the opposition’s most dangerous attacks.
Chivu frustrated by Inter’s lack of determination
For Inter, the defeat was their first of the Serie A campaign. The league leaders had won eight of their opening nine matches but struggled to gain a foothold against Milan, particularly in the opening stages.
Chivu was also forced to improvise with his selection. Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny were both struggling with fitness problems, prompting the coach to reshape his attack. Andy Diouf was tasked with making runs in behind, supported by several mobile attacking players operating around and ahead of him.
The approach worked only intermittently. Inter managed to exert pressure but left themselves with an extremely difficult task after conceding twice so early.
“We got our approach wrong at the start,” Chivu admitted afterwards. He stressed that his players needed to rediscover the determination and concentration that had underpinned their success the previous season.
Inter continued to enjoy the greater share of the play after half-time. They were initially awarded a penalty for a handball by Mario Gila, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review. Maignan and Milan’s defence subsequently held firm.
Can the derby triumph spark something bigger?
It was Milan’s third consecutive Serie A victory over Inter, extending their unbeaten run against their city rivals to eight matches across all competitions.
The win lifted the Rossoneri into fourth place, just four points behind the league leaders. Amorim nevertheless refused to get carried away with talk of a title challenge. Rebuilding his team would take time, he insisted, and individual statement victories could not replace that process.
Milan host Ferencváros in the Europa League on Thursday before travelling to face Genoa CFC. Inter, meanwhile, visit Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Champions League on Tuesday before returning to domestic action against Como.
For Milan, the derby provided compelling evidence that Amorim’s tactical adjustments can deliver results. Inter remain the more consistent side and retain their position at the top of Serie A, but their first defeat exposed weaknesses in their defensive organisation against fast attacking transitions.
Moreira provided the clearest lesson of the evening. In a winger capable of both creating and finishing chances, Milan possess an additional attacking weapon that future opponents will need to pay considerably more attention to.
