Christian Pulisic puts Milan on his back, again! USMNT star leads Rossoneri to victory over Sassuolo with sixth goal of Serie A campaign

A quiet first 45 minutes saw the two sides head into the halftime break scoreless, with the tempo being both slow and aggravating for each team. Neither looked content with their performance, with heads hanging low as they headed down the tunnel at the break. However, at the half, something ticked for the Rossoneri as they came out with fire in their eyes over the final 45 minutes.

Pulisic opened the scoring in the 59th minute off a brilliant team play with Ismael Bennacer and Tijani Reijnders. The Algerian international split the Sassuolo defense with a decisive ball and the USMNT star drew goalkeeper Andrea Consigli off his line, tucking the ball into the far corner of the net. It ended up being the lone goal in the contest, but it was all the Rossoneri needed to take home three points on the day.

Pulisic now has six goals and four assists across the Serie A campaign, and is the first American to ever net that many in a Serie A season. He's become a written-in name for every team sheet under boss Stefano Pioli, and he's rewarded the manager time and time again with brilliant performances. Saturday saw him light up the Sassuolo defense across the final 45 minutes, netting the winner of course, but applying pressure the entire time as well. A proper Man of the Match performance, the USMNT star was brilliant yet again for Milan.

It's brilliant news for Gregg Berhalter's side, as Pulisic continues his red-hot form in Italy. He's been absolutely fantastic of late, showing the top-level talent he did during his initial seasons at Chelsea. If he can stay healthy going into this Spring's Nations League semifinals and this summer's Copa America, he instantly gives them an upper hand against top-tier competition.

As for Musah, it's a minor knock that held him out of the contest. It should be no worry for Berhalter or the USMNT, with an expected return this coming week.

Christian Pulisic (8/10): It was a slow first half for the winger, but that was the case for the entire Rossoneri squad. He came alive during the final 45 minutes, putting on an attacking clinic, with Milan riding his performance.

Pulisic and Milan return to action on January 2 in the Coppa Italia against Cagliari, before a Serie A match the following weekend against Empoli. With the result, they're up to 36 points and sit third in the league table, while Pulisic continues to impress.