Allegri says derby victory confirmed Milan's status as contenders
Christian Pulisic's goal was enough for AC Milan to edge out rivals Inter and blow the Serie A title race wide open on Sunday.
Massimiliano Allegri believes AC Milan's 1-0 derby win over Inter confirmed their status as genuine contenders in Serie A, pushing back on claims they have more points than they deserve.
The Rossoneri came out on top in Sunday's headline clash at San Siro, with Christian Pulisic scoring early in the second half before Mike Maignan saved a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty.
The result saw Milan leapfrog their rivals to go second in the table, with Roma now the Scudetto frontrunners, two points clear of Allegri's side.
And according to the Opta supercomputer, the victory boosted Milan's title chances to 18.7%, with Inter still the favourites at 38.1% and Roma assigned a 19.1% probability.
Milan had to soak up plenty of pressure as Inter fired off 20 shots to their seven, also winning the expected goals (xG) battle 1.92 to 1.01, but Allegri was only concerned about the result.
"I think the points we have are what we deserve, because we could've drawn easily with Napoli and Roma, so it all balances out," Allegri told DAZN Italia.
"This match confirmed our season since the start, which is when we had to set the tempo. We didn't always do it, conceding goals against Cremonese, Parma and Pisa.
"When it's a top-level match, you are more determined, you stay plugged in for longer, and so we must understand that when we let the intensity drop, we become vulnerable.
"On a psychological level, this is an important win, as staying in the top four was what we wanted."
Milan have now gone six games unbeaten against Inter in all competitions, winning four and drawing two, their longest such run in the Derby della Madonnina since a 10-match stretch that ended in April 2005.
"It was a great victory, an entertaining match. We started a little tense in the first 15 minutes, but then we loosened up," Allegri added.
"We had four or five situations where we could have made better choices in the final third, especially when it came to sending Pulisic and [Alexis] Saelemaekers forward.
"We needed to be more accurate on the crosses, then in the second half once we scored, it was natural Inter would fight back.
"We had a few favourable situations with Rafael Leao one-on-one, we defended well with preventative marking, which was important against Inter, when they can be lethal playing their way out of the first press."
Milan now face Lazio in each of their next two games, in Serie A on Saturday and in the Coppa Italia on December 4.
