The Rossoneri had all the motivation they needed to take away all three points from the capital after league leaders Inter Milan were held to a draw by Atalanta on Saturday. Therefore, it was somewhat surprising that a Biancocelesti side languishing in mid-table made the brighter start.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Nuno Tavares both forced Mike Maignan into action in the opening exchanges, before Kenneth Taylor’s angled strike rattled the crossbar.
That served as a warning sign for what was to come, as Maurizio Sarri’s side broke the deadlock in the 26th minute through Gustav Isaksen. The Dane latched onto Adam Marusic’s long pass forward and outsmuscled Pervis Estupinan before nodding the ball down and firing home a left-footed finish which nestled in at the far post.
The Biancocelesti continued to look threatening on the break, as Daniel Maldini bore down on goal, but he could only shoot straight at Maignan.
Milan were looking comparatively sluggish before the interval, but Christian Pulisic had a chance to restore parity after half-time when his strike was parried to safety by Edoardo Motta.
The United States international scuffed a separate chance moments later, with the ball rising kindly for Youssouf Fofana, but the Frenchman could only head the ball straight at the Lazio shot-stopper.
The Rossoneri were really struggling to find their flow going forward, with Motta doing well to parry away Pulisic’s cross from Rafael Leao.
The Portuguese forward was withdrawn not long afterwards, prompting a rather fraught exchange with Allegri as he left the pitch before he threw a water bottle to the ground in anger on the bench.
Zachary Athekame thought he had equalised with a well-taken finish from Luka Modric’s corner, but the effort was ruled out after the Switzerland U21 international handled the ball before converting a very tidy finish past Motta.
Milan were growing in belief, with substitute Christopher Nkunku proving to be a real handful down the left flank. The pressure was unrelenting heading towards the closing stages, as Modric blazed his shot over the bar.
However, their efforts were ultimately in vain, and they could not prevent the Rossoneri from succumbing to just a third league defeat of the season, leaving them eight points adrift of Inter.
Meanwhile, despite seeing Sarri dismissed in stoppage time, these three points serve as a huge morale-booster for a Biancocelesti side whose season has been marred by off-field issues. They claimed back-to-back league wins for the first time since February 2025 and moved up one place in the table to ninth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gustav Isaksen (Lazio)
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