Rafael Leao returned from injury to fire AC Milan to the Serie A top places, scoring the winner in a tight 1-0 victory away against Cagliari. The Rossoneri struggled early in Sardinia, fortunate that Marco Palestra and Luca Mazzitelli wasted clear openings. A Milan penalty call before halftime was correctly overturned for offside.
Following Massimiliano Allegri’s halftime talks, Milan improved immediately. Adrien Rabiot’s pinpoint cross found Leao, who smashed home his sixth career goal against the Islanders. Leao was then replaced by debutant Niclas Fullkrug, recently arriving on loan from West Ham. While Fullkrug didn't score, he set up Christian Pulisic, whose shot forced a smart save. Goalkeeper Elia Caprile also denied a Luka Modric curling free-kick late on. Ultimately, Leao’s strike secured the points, ending Cagliari’s home run while extending Milan’s unbeaten streak to sixteen matches, applying significant pressure on title rivals Inter and Napoli.