Allegri kept faith with the side who were shocked 2-1 by Cremonese on the opening weekend, making just one enforced change, and it seemed he had been repaid in the fourth minute when Matteo Gabbia headed in Luka Modrić’s corner. However, VAR spotted a push by the goalscorer and ruled it out.
The previous five iterations of this fixture had produced 25 goals, but the first quarter of this match passing without a legal shot on target suggested a bucking of the trend.
An effort on goal was finally registered in the final 10 minutes of the half, when Santiago Giménez’s cross was hooked back across goal by Yunus Musah to Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and his header was clawed away by the Giallorossi’s Wladimiro Falcone.
Giménez would go on to spurn a good chance in added time, while at the other end, the industrious Santiago Pierotti set up a chance for Mohamed Kaba, but by ballooning the effort over he ensured Lecce had failed to register a goalbound strike in their first three halves of football this season.
At half time, Lecce threw on new forward Nikola Štulić, and they immediately looked more of a threat, as the Serbian set up Kaba for a strike that forced Mike Maignan into a save, albeit with a deflection taking the sting out of the shot.
Milan were soon beginning to dominate, though, and thought they had made their pressure count on the hour mark when a precise Alexis Saelemaekers pass set up Giménez for a crisp finish, but again the visitors were denied by VAR, this time for offside against the Mexican.
But it was third time lucky for Il Diavolo six minutes later, when a free-kick from the left wing was floated into the box by Modrić, onto the head of Loftus-Cheek, who helped it on and beyond Falcone.
With Dame Helen Mirren watching on, Falcone had his box office moment soon after with a flying save to deny Youssouf Fofana a quick second, before Štulić produced a firm stop from Maignan to preserve the narrow lead.
Four minutes from time, Christian Pulisic profited from careless Lecce defending to steer home the second goal, extending Milan’s unbeaten H2H run to 15 matches.
It also ensured that Eusebio Di Francesco has still not managed to improve Lecce’s home record, which now reads one win in 12 league games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luka Modrić (AC Milan)
See a summary of the match here
