Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah given brief rest after USMNT duty as duo comes off bench in crucial Milan win over Fiorentina

AC Milan began without both Pulisic and Musah in the XI. Stefano Pioli addressed the former's absence pregame, saying that Pulisic had asked to be left out due to tired legs from the international break.

The first half was largely back-and-forth with both teams having chances, but the game really ignited in the second, when Milan and Fiorentina exchanged three goals in a six-minute span.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored the first of those three, seizing the lead for Milan in the 74th minute. Just three minutes later, Fiorentina were level on a goal from Alfred Duncan. Milan superstar Rafael Leao, though, ensured that Milan would remain in the lead with a goal in the 53rd, giving the visitors an advantage on the scoreboard that they wouldn't relinquish.

With the win, Milan put some space between themselves and Juventus, furthering their stranglehold on second place. Juve's loss to Lazio on Saturday leaves the Old Lady stuck in third, with Milan six points ahead for second in the table. Leading the way is Inter, who are cruising to a Scudetto title in 2024.

Pulisic remains a key figure for Milan, even if he wasn't a starter in this game. Samuel Chukwueze, his primary competitor for minutes on the right, put in a good shift, but the American is still the go-to guy in that position.

The ex-Chelsea star's benching was entirely due to fatigue, as he played big minutes against Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals before featuring in the 2-0 win over Mexico in the finale. He was, understandably, a bit tired, which makes sense when you add in the travel factor involved.

Musah, too, played in the two USMNT matches, starting the first against Jamaica before coming off the bench in the final on Sunday.

Christian Pulsiic (6/10):
Had a goal called back for offside, which was actually partly Musah's fault. Other than that, didn't get many touches.

Yunus Musah (6/10):

Needed to spring Pulisic just a second or two earlier in the aforementioned sequence. The run leading up to it was great, though, and he did defend well with Milan nursing a lead.

Milan will now turn their focus toward a match against Lecce next Saturday as they look to continue to build momentum after winning their fourth consecutive match. That momentum, of course, will be key as they gear up for their Europa League quarterfinal clash with Roma, which begins with the first leg in Milan on April 11.