Christopher Nkunku sent AC Milan to the top of Serie A on Sunday in the 3-0 win over Verona at San Siro, the French striker’s first goals in the Italian top flight.
Nkunku ended a league drought dating back to February when he doubled Milan’s lead two minutes after half-time with a penalty he deserved.
Five minutes later he was on hand to tap home third and give the hosts a two-point lead over local rivals Inter Milan.
The 28-year-old’s only previous goal for Milan since signing from Chelsea for 37 million euros ($43.6 million) in August came against Lecce in the Italian Cup in September.
«He is a sensitive boy, someone who wants to do well here… I think he can continue to improve, just like we have to do,» said Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri.
“We need everyone because we have a very busy agenda in the coming months.”
Inter can regain top spot later on Sunday when they make the short trip to Bergamo to take on Atalanta, who have revived since Raffaele Palladino took charge last month.
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Milan were on their way to a comprehensive win on the stroke of half-time through Christian Pulisic, who continued his sensational form by scoring his eighth goal in 11 Serie A appearances.
Pulisic, who has missed around a month of this season through injury, has scored 50 goals in Serie A since arriving in Milan in 2023.
He broke Verona’s spirited resistance when he headed home Adrien Rabiot’s strike for a corner in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half.
It helped Milan beat one of the lower-ranked teams with confidence, something Allegri’s players struggled to do even though they have not been beaten in Serie A since the opening day of the season.
Nkunku secured the points and made a case to take charge of Milan, with Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez absent until February and Niclas Fullkrug set to join from West Ham next month.
Verona, who had won their last two games against Atalanta and Fiorentina, remain in the relegation zone, two points behind Genoa, who are just outside the bottom three and face Roma on Monday.
Also on Sunday, champions Napoli will try to get back to within a point of Milan at Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese, while Bologna host Sassuolo.
Published on December 28, 2025
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