Pulisic scored the decisive winner for Milan in the second half, while Maignan had six saves in the contest.
After the final whistle, Pulisic underlined the personal and collective significance of the derby triumph, saying the victory “means everything” for the group. He admitted that he is not yet back to full match sharpness following a recent injury layoff, but stressed that hard work and resilience had helped him contribute when it mattered. The forward framed the goal as validation of effort and a boost for the dressing room.
“It means everything, honestly, just the result today,” Pulisic said in his post-match interview with CBS Sports. “It just puts us in a good place, and yeah, I’m really happy to come back after some tough moments in the last month to come back and help the team to win.
“I mean, honestly, I think I can improve even more,” Pulisic added. “I don’t feel a 100 percent sharp after coming back from an injury and some time out. But it just shows the resilience, and I work really hard and happy a moment like today can come; it means a lot to me.”
Pulisic singled out his teammates’ determination in the closing stages, praising Milan’s defensive resolve and team unity. He pointed to the way the side defended the lead in the last half hour as evidence of a strong collective mentality, adding that confidence gained from such wins can carry through the season. The striker also reflected on his own standards, saying there is still room to sharpen his performances despite the decisive contribution.
“Honestly, just the way this team has suffered even when we’re up goals and you can see in the last 30 minutes the way we defend,” Pulisic explained. “I just think we have a really good team spirit, the team’s will is incredible no matter what happens, we’ve gone down, we’ve come back, we’ve gone up and we’ve defended. I think we’ve just seen the games through and yup, we feel confident going into the games.”
