Nkunku propels Milan to Serie A summit, Hojlund maintains Napoli's challenge
Christopher Nkunku propelled AC Milan to the top of Serie A by netting a brace during Sundays 3-0 triumph over Verona at the San Siro, marking the French forwards initial strikes in Italys premier division.
Nkunku extended Milans advantage just two minutes into the second half via a penalty he had won himself, snapping a goalless run in the league that dated back to February during his stint with Chelsea in England.
Five minutes later, he slotted in the third goal to secure the hosts a one-point edge over Napoli, who secured a 2-0 victory at Cremonese courtesy of a Rasmus Hojlund double.
The 28 year old Nkunkus sole prior contribution for Milan, since his arrival from Chelsea for an upfront fee of 37 million euros (43.6 million dollars) in August, was a goal against Lecce in the Italian Cup back in September.
Hes a sensitive player, eager to succeed here. I believe he can keep developing, much like the team must, remarked Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri.
We will require contributions from all, given our packed fixture list over the coming month.
Milan set off towards a decisive win right before the interval, thanks to Christian Pulisic, who sustained his outstanding run by bagging his eighth goal in 11 Serie A outings.
Pulisic, sidelined for about a month this season due to injury, has been involved in 50 goals across Serie A since joining Milan in 2023.
He shattered Veronas determined defence by nudging in Adrien Rabiots headed flick from a corner in the first minute of added time before the break.
This assisted Milan in comfortably overcoming a lower table side, a task Allegri's squad has sometimes struggled with, despite remaining unbeaten in Serie A since the campaigns opening fixture.
Nkunku sealed the victory and staked his claim as Milans frontline option, with Mexican forward Santiago Gimenez sidelined until February and Niclas Fullkrug poised to join from West Ham next month.
Verona, fresh from back to back wins over Atalanta and Fiorentina, linger in the drop zone, trailing Genoa by two points, with the latter just above the relegation places and scheduled to meet Roma on Monday.
Hojlund in fine form
Hojlund boosted his overall goal count for Napoli to nine, as the title holders eased to a 2-0 success in Cremona, sustaining their bid to defend the Scudetto.
Coming off their Italian Super Cup triumph in Saudi Arabia, Napoli dominated from the outset and justly led in the 13th minute when Hojlund capitalised on a rebound to score from near range.
Hojlund found himself ideally positioned once more just before halftime, as Alessio Zerbin inadvertently redirected Matteo Politanos delivery right to the Danish forward, who finished with composure.
Hojlund has netted six times in 12 Serie A matches, surpassing his full Premier League haul from last seasons stint with Manchester United by two.
This latest brace marked his second for Napoli, following his double in their recent victory against rivals Juventus earlier this month, who slip to fourth, three points adrift of Milan.
Im delighted with the outcome. A 2-0 win here isnt straightforward, Cremonese have posed problems for many sides this term. These are valuable points, commented Hojlund, who previously featured for Atalanta in Italy before moving to United.
Im progressing each season. At Atalanta, I was younger, and now I bring more maturity. Ive experienced the Premier League and Champions League, and Im surrounded by top talents.
Inter have the chance to regain the summit later Sunday with a brief journey to Bergamo against Atalanta, who have surged under new boss Raffaele Palladino since his appointment last month.