Torino 2-3 AC Milan: Super sub Pulisic nets quickfire brace in comeback victory

Christian Pulisic emerged from the bench to score twice in the space of 10 second-half minutes as AC Milan came from two goals down to beat Torino 3-2 in Serie A on Monday.

Pulisic netted just 35 seconds after coming on before netting the winner 13 minutes from time to help Massimiliano Allegri’s team return to the top of the table.

Torino were handed a huge chance to take the lead with just 10 minutes on the clock when Marcus Pedersen’s cross into the box was handled by Milan defender Fikayo Tomori.

Nikola Vlasic stepped up and squeezed the penalty beyond Mike Maignan’s grasp and into the bottom-right corner, with the Croatian involved in the thick of the action soon after.

After pinching possession from Christopher Nkunku, Vlasic’s driving run ended with a pass to Duvan Zapata, who steadied himself before sending a fierce drive past Maignan 17 minutes in.

But just seven minutes later, Milan halved the deficit in stunning fashion, with Adrien Rabiot picking out the top-right corner with a stunning finish from just over 30 yards out.

Milan were in the ascendancy after the break, but could not break through. That was until Pulisic replaced Davide Bartesaghi just after the hour at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Less than a minute after entering the action, Pulisic restored parity when Alexis Saelemaekers’ cross was not dealt with, allowing the American to take a touch before finding the net.

And the midfielder was not done there. In the 77th minute, fellow substitute Samuele Ricci’s cutback found Pulisic, who placed the ball past Franco Israel for the winning goal.

Data Debrief: Pulisic provides late spark

Milan knew the importance of a victory here, having seen Napoli take top spot over the weekend, and things did not start well when they fell two goals behind, but they battled back to keep their impressive unbeaten run in Serie A rolling.

Indeed, the Rossoneri are now unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A matches (W9 D4), last having a longer stretch without defeat in the first half of a top-flight season since 2020-21 (15 matches), but they had Pulisic to thank.

The Milan midfielder made an immediate impact, netting after just 35 seconds. The previous fastest goal scored by a Milan substitute came in February 2008, when Alberto Paloschi found the back of the net within 19 seconds of coming on.

Despite coming on late in the day, Pulisic ended the contest with joint-team-high totals for chances created (two), while only Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nkunku (both seven) had more touches in the opposition box than the American’s six.